As the caring mum of a toddler, I feel that diaper changing is a partnership between my son and me. But there is more to it in terms of science that I am so kicked up about sharing with you.

With an active toddler like Shakeel, diaper-changing time needs to be as fast and fuss free as possible.

This also means changing him while he is standing or running around at times – it’s important for me to be flexible and let him know that I can adjust to his needs as best as I possibly can. I mean, I cannot possibly hold him down and expect him to cooperate.

Tape diapers and an active toddler will never get along. I have tried using tape diapers with Shakeel but my goodness, it was like wrestling and trying to pin him down with all my might! And if I did that, Shakeel would struggle even more and escape whenever possible. And I would be so tired by then!

Once he ran around the whole house without any diaper on because he just did not want to go through the wrestling session with me!

It got me thinking –

“DO I WANT TO GO THROUGH THIS SEVERAL TIMES A DAY FOR AS LONG AS HE STILL NEEDS THE DIAPER?”

NO WAY!

And then I decided to make a change for the better, by switching to Huggies® Platinum Pants.

I am not kidding you when I say how thankful I am now that we are using Huggies® Platinum Pants! It really saves us so much time and unlike before, Shakeel no longer struggles.

All I need to do is to tell him that it is diaper-changing time, and he will cooperate and just wait for it to be done. More often than not, it usually takes less than 5 minutes!

SO YES MUMMIES AND DADDIES, DIAPER CHANGING IS A SERIOUS PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN OUR BABIES AND US.

Removing it is just as easy as well – just tear off both side seams of the diaper and you are done!

And I like how the diaper comes with a tape at the back so that I can just roll up the soiled diaper and secure it with the tape!

Since Huggies® Platinum Pants are designed with a comfortable underwear-like fit, Shakeel will just wear a tee and Huggies® Platinum Pants!

The diaper is really comfortable plus soft and stretchable, giving Shakeel more flexibility to move around. No matter how active Shakeel is or how many stunts he performs in a day, the diaper will stay in place.

So how do I know if it’s time to change his diaper? Just look at the yellow strips and if they are blue, that means the diaper is wet and it is time to change!

But I am not as worried if I do not get to change his diaper right on time because the diaper can really absorb well! This is definitely awesome for overnight use without having to worry about diaper leaks. Mummies, you know how it’s like, right? There will be days when we either forget to change their diaper or we just pretend to forget. Hahaha!

Lastly, since babies have super sensitive skin, it is important to choose a diaper that is clinically proven to help prevent diaper rash, just like Huggies® Platinum Pants! The soft and textured pad pulls pee quickly away from baby’s skin. Amazing isn’t it?

So it makes perfect sense to choose Huggies® Platinum Pants as my number 1 choice!

He seems to love it too! 😀

At the end of the day, diaper changing is a partnership between Shakeel and me. If I expect Shakeel to do what I want him to, chances are he will keep running and make things difficult for me whenever it’s time to change his diaper. And I do not want that because it’s just so tiring.

I am taking over my mummy’s blog for a while today because #IThinkShakeelTypes too and not just #IThinkShakeelTalks Besides, my mummy needs a little break because she has been complaining about not getting enough rest. So I let her rest for a while but I will not give her titties a break no matter what! Ok a bit too much information there.

How’s my CNY outfit and hair? Nice?

I really love Chinese New Year because there are lots of sweet oranges everywhere. If you don’t already know, I love oranges so much! Whenever my mummy takes me to the supermarket, I will be sure to grab an orange or two and carry it/them around with me until my mummy is done with her grocery shopping! Let’s just say oranges are my stress balls – I squeeze the juice out of them.

Am I sitting #likeaboss here?

Well, I am the boss! I can just mess everything and anything up and get away with it like all the time!

And are you at my mummy’s blog to find out the winner for the recent Icon Home Challenge?

I will announce that in a jiffy, so do not be so mean and scroll down immediately before reading what I have to type out first with my tiny fat fingers.

ICON INTERIOR DESIGN will be having their CNY FAIR 2018 and they want to celebrate it with you!

Event: CNY Fair 2018.

Date: 15 to 18 Feb.

Time: 10am to 9pm

Why must you aunties and uncles book an appointment with them during their CNY Fair?

I think it has something to do with saving lots of money. I heard that renovating a house is very expensive – way more expensive than my baby shark pajamas! (And I still do not understand why my mummy has to complain so much about me owning so many baby shark pajamas! I want to own all the colours of the pyjamas, is that so wrong?)

How much money will you get to save by signing up a renovation package with Icon Interior Design during their CNY Fair 2018? I cannot even count using all my fingers and toes because you will save a lot!

And there are altogether 4 reasons why you must sign up with them during their CNY Fair 2018!

Do you want to know what are the different prizes hanging around and waiting for you at the Ang Bao Tree?

Let me list them down for you!

1. $500 TEKA Voucher

2.$300 Air-con Voucher

3.Branded Hood & Hob

4.Blum Starter Kit

5.TEKA Microwave Oven

6.Karcher Vacuum Cleaner

7.Branded 32″ TV

8.Frontline Washing Machine

9.Philips Air-fryer

10.NesCafe Coffee Machine

11.$388 Cash Rebates

12.3pc WMF Pots Set

13.100 sets of Baby Shark PJs!!!!

Can I please have number 13?100 sets of Baby Shark PJs?!!!

Okay fine, I made that up actually. There is no number 13.

But yes aunties and uncles, you will 100% win either one of the above-mentioned prizes! Except for number 13.

I imagine the angbao tree to look something like this.

1st 3 customers to sign up for a renovation package during the CNY Fair 2018 will enjoy FREE PAINTING FOR YOUR ENTIRE HOUSE if you choose the following concept for your house:

♦ Scandinavian.

♦ Industrial.

♦ English modern

♦ Modern French.

♦ Bohemian

So there you have it – 4 reasons why you must sign up with Icon Interior Design during their CNY Fair 2018!

You will really save a lot of money, aunties and uncles, as you can read and see.

Ok hold on a sec…

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Errrr…my mummy just told me to move aside because she wants to take over for the rest of the blog post! She said I was blabbering too much. Bye bye aunties and uncles, till the next #IThinkShakeelTypes because I want to be a blogger too!

CONGRATS TO HOUSE NUMBER 1 -DAWSON ROAD!

WOOHOO YOU HAVE JUST WON $1500 CASH, JUST BY LETTING ME FEATURE THE PICTURES OF YOUR HOUSE!

And just like that, you have gotten for yourself beautiful photos of your house – they will really come in handy when you intend to market your house in future, trust me!

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Congrats also to the House Number 2- PUNGGOL FIELD!

You have won $1000, and that’s really not too bad!

Now go put the money to good use, you guys! (Like treating me to dinner, for instance lol) The good people from Icon Interior Design will be contacting you to give you details about the prize presentation!

So you see, it PAYS to renovate with Icon Interior Design – both literally and figuratively.

Buying a home is a huge investment and many new owners do not have the means to jump straight into major renovations. At Icon Interior Design, they truly understand this and will try their very best to match their design with your budget!

And with competitions like Icon Home Challenge, you can be sure that Icon Interior Design aims to provide the best after-sales service to their customers!

So for you homeowners who have just gotten the keys to your new house or are intending to source for a renovation company, be sure to not miss the CNY Fair 2018 by Icon Interior Design! No harm calling them up for an appointment and have them work out your quotation for you for free, right? At least you will be able to compare with the other quotations that you have (if need be) or at the very least, you will know whether your budget is enough. Even if it is not, the interior designers at Icon Interior Designer will be more than willing to work out a quotation that is solely based on your budget. I will not lie and tell you that your renovation will be smooth sailing (although mine was pretty much smooth sailing!). However, rest assured that because I have been promoting them, they will do whatever it takes to live up my expectations and everyone else’s as well. You want reliable, I give you reliable.

First step is to call them up at 82127652 to book an appointment with an ID!

Second step is to mention my name or busybody Shakeel lol to enjoy all the perks mentioned in this post.

Planning and imagining your dream home with your interior designer should be fun, so do not turn it into a stressful period! Do not try to rush the process, and end up regretting it later. Take your time, and most importantly, spend within your budget!

House renovation can possibly give you the biggest headache, but it can also make you the happiest the moment you see your dreams transformed into reality!

Icon Interior Design is possibly the only interior design/renovation company around that makes a conscious effort to thank their customers by rewarding them with cash prizes at least twice a year via competitions like Icon Home Challenge! Thumbs up, Icon Interior Design! And for that, they are still at the top of my list for the best interior design company in Singapore!

Hold on a second while I check my list to double confirm…

YES, THEY ARE STILL THE BEST!

And then I saw this!

Congrats, Icon Interior Design!

So anyway, back to Icon Home Challenge – this time round, two lucky homeowners who just renovated their home with Icon Interior Design will compete with each other for the top two prizes. Uhuh, both of them will win cash, regardless. Both are winners, in other words.

At this point, you must be thinking, “AIYAH SURE MUST SPEND A LOT ON THE RENOVATION BEFORE I CAN QUALIFY FOR THE COMPETITION.”

That’s where you are wrong. Why you think like that, ah? In fact, you do not even have to renovate the entire house before you can qualify for the Icon Home Challenge! All you need to do is to be sporting enough to let Icon Interior Design showcase your beautiful house. And that’s about it! Your home does not even have to be fully furnished although having a fully furnished home is pleasing to the eye and can earn you some extra points!

Want to know what the finalists will stand to win?

1st Prize winner: $1500 cash prize.

2nd Prize winner: $1000 cash prize.

HOW LUCKY!

They can definitely do a bit of shopping for their new home with that amount of cash prize!

And this is the part where YOUR HELP will be required.

I am going to showcase pictures of the home finalists, and all you need to do is to vote for the most deserving winner!

You have till 12 pm on Friday, 9 February 2018 to vote!

I will announce the results on Friday, 9 February 2018 too, at 6 pm! I will also be revealing some too good to be true promotions by Icon Interior Design for homeowners who are intending to promote their house!

NO GIMMICKS BECAUSE THEY ARE SO LAME.

STAY CLOSE TO ME FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS!

Meanwhile, VOTE for your favourite house via my blog now and also via my IG stories, which I will be posting for the next four days!

Meanwhile, for any renovation related matters, you can whatsapp Icon Interior Design (and test their customer service lol) at 82127652

But if you ask me, why not wait until I reveal the CNY PROMOTION by Icon Interior Design on Friday? Then you can panic and quickly book your appointment with them! But if you are super kiasu, just call now lah to enquire! Lol.

I cannot wait for the second edition of Twilight: Flea & Feast, which is happening this weekend!

Inspired by the hawkers’ markets in Australia, this latest baby by RoseValley aims to bring a vibrant flea market, tasty street food and endless entertainment for the whole family! That said, do make it a point to drop by to shop, grab a bite and enjoy the ambience of the market with your friends and family. Stroll through the vibrant flea market, dig into a variety of delicious treats, enjoy live performances and movies under the stars! I like how everything is so laid back – you can just grab a bite, have a little picnic and enjoy the free movie screening! Best of all, it is air conditioned and situated at Suntec City Convention Centre!

So convenient and so easy to go there via the various modes of transport!

By Car:

Park at West Wing (Green Zone)

Lobby A or B

Nearest Bus Stop

Bus 531, 868, 106, 700A, 857, 97, 36, 70M, 97E, 111, 133, 162M and 50

Nearest MRT station

Esplanade MRT (CC3)

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It’s easily a place I would take friends and family visiting Singapore to go try a variety of different food under one roof. Twilight Flea & Feast: 2018 will be a ‘love and romance’ theme andwill include the following:

Giant game pieces – Human-sized Jenga blocks, Tic Tac Toe and Connect Four will be brought in for all visitors to enjoy.

Crafts workshops – We are introducing various crafts workshop for children and adults such as watercolour calligraphy, clay and wood making.

‘Love’-themed installations for that Instagram-worthy shots

Popular activities from the first edition of Twlight: Flea & Feast will also make its return and they include:

Balloon Pit – This time round, they will be having two balloon pits instead of just one! Just leave your kids there to play while you shop and feast!

Movies Under The “Stars” – There will be three movie screenings each day during the three-day event. Movies include popular titles such as Finding Nemo, High School Musical and Mrs Doubtfire!

Massage by the Singapore Association of Visually Handicapped (SAVH) – Once again, the professional massage therapists from the SAVH will be providing their services at $12 for a 20-minute shoulder or foot massage. All proceeds go to SAVH.

Festival of Food – There will be about 40 F&B stalls selling street cuisine from around the globe, which includes takoyaki, kebabs and tacos.

Shop ‘Til You Drop – With over a hundred flea and retail stores, Twilight is the place to be for your Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day shopping.

‘Live’ and ‘Street’ Performances – Talented buskers and performers from the Orita Sinclair School of Design and Music will be entertaining the crowd with their musical prowess.

I will be having a booth once again, together with my daughters The Slime Enchanters, and they will be selling more of their homemade slimes! We will also launching our EDIBLE SLIME for our little toddlers who want to have a feel (and taste) of the slime! <3

We will also be selling my parents’ SuperShiok Sambal, after much persuasion done! It’s so difficult to get them to participate in events like this because they prefer doing everything from home. Time to step out of your comfort zone, Mak and Daddy! LOL.

Limited stocks though, so do hurry if you want to purchase their SuperShiok Sambal Belacan and Sambal Kicap! Otherwise, just purchase online HERE!

Besides the above-mentioned, we have more surprises coming up, which you can only find out at our booth itself! Kids will LOVE them!

WE WILL BE AT BOOTH B5! FIND US THERE OKAY?

(Only cash is accepted at our booth!)

(And right next to us at booth B4 will be our favourite Pearlista @pearlistasg and The Donut Squishery @thedonutsquishery ! You can purchase slimes from them too!)

For more updates & details, visit us at IG:

@etrangle

@slimeenchanters

I have to congratulate Dian Rasid-Heng and Md Noor Hadi , the powerful husband and wife team who founded RoseValley, CelebFest and now Twilight: Flea & Feast! I am sure everyone who went for the first edition of Twilight: Flea & Feast would agree that it was definitely a refreshing twist to the usual wedding/food expo or bazaar. I am so so glad that it’s making its return in a few days time!

If you have no pressing plans and just want to immerse yourself in a bit of laidback Singapore, this is the place to hang out this weekend!

Now that Shakeel is already 15 months old, being a fussy eater is part of the package. So I can forget about giving him the same food over and over again unless it’s his favorite fruit.

This boy acts like he’s the big boss!

Toddlers are very good at listening to their hunger cues so really, we should leave it all to them to decide how much they want to eat.

I am still breastfeeding Shakeel as often as he wants it, but I also offer him solids a few times a day. Recently, he has started to drink cow’s milk because he insisted on it!

I was drinking a glass of milk one day when he pulled the glass towards him repetitively. I let him take a sip of it only – I was so worried that he would have a reaction to it. As we all know it, we must always wait for a few days and check for possible reactions to new foods such as food sensitivities or food allergies. For example, if I introduce fresh milk to Shakeel on Monday, I should wait till Friday to see if there’s any reaction to it.

I have read that rashes, gastrointestinal or stomach upset, vomiting and diarrhea can all indicate a milk allergy!

It was cute to see the reaction on Shakeel’s face after the first sip of fresh milk because the milk was cold! He did not want to taste it anymore after that. I have read that warming the milk first before offering it to our toddler helps. Using a straw or special sippy cup might help too. Sippy cups can be a great way for your baby to transition from nursing or bottle-feeding to a regular cup.

Some babies start using sippy cups as early as 6 months old, and others will not be interested until after their first birthday!

Shakeel for instance, started to show interest in the sippy cup only when he reached one. He even has a special sippy cup especially for his fresh milk and it’s yellow in colour!

If your baby refuses one type of cup, then try another. You may need to try several styles before you find one that he likes.

Some parents encounter problems where their babies associate certain drinks with certain cups. So if you plan to give your fresh milk from the sippy cup, then you should put milk into the cup the first time that you give it to him

Give it some time. And don’t worry if your baby doesn’t take to the sippy cup right away. Just wait a few weeks more and try again.

If your toddler is drinking formula milk, try replacing one cup of formula with a cup of fresh milk. Or cut it half and half. Just remember that any sudden drastic change (all formula to all milk) in a kid’s diet can cause an upset tummy.

HPB also recommend giving your toddler 500-750ml of milk. Otherwise your toddler may be more likely to get cavities and be too full to eat at mealtime.

It’s not exactly a must to introduce cow’s milk to our toddler as long as he is still breastfeeding and cow’s milk is another source of calcium, protein, fats, and vitamin D.

In other words, mummy’s milk is still the best!

So if you are still breastfeeding your toddler, keep going! <3

Mummies, if you need to find out more about fresh milk, you can view the video below!

Alternatively, you can also check out Health Promotion Board website by clicking HERE

Where to go to if you need to shop for stylish, quality and most importantly, kid friendly bedroom furniture and accessories for your kid(s)?

PICCOLO HOUSE, OF COURSE.

You know, furnishing the kids’ room is not just about choosing the cutest or most colourful stuff for them. Their safety is of utmost importance, and at Piccolo House, you can rest assure that all their products are safe for kids. I really like how their furniture have round sides and edges.

Recently, I decided to set up a reading corner for Shakeel and his sisters at the living room. Since my living room is mostly in white and black, it is only apt for me to choose the same colours for their reading corner. And I know I would not have much of a problem finding the furniture and accessories for their reading corner at Piccolo House. . The colours of the furniture at Piccolo House are either white or in pastel tones. I love those kinds of colors when it comes to furniture. Spare me the loud tones, please.

When I first visited Piccolo House, I knew what to look out for because I already visited their website http://piccolo-house.com/ prior to the visit.

I WENT CRAZY THE MOMENT I VISITED THEIR WEBSITE.

I wanted almost everything and helloooo, we are talking about kids’ furniture here. Can you roughly guess how was my girls’ reaction when I showed them the website?

“Mummy, can we please have this when we move in to a bigger space?”

“Mummy, can I have my room like this?”

“Mummy I love their bunk bed! Can you please get this for us?”

“Mummy, look at their bedsheets! Can we each have one?”

“Mummy, we need this. Can you please get it for us?”

For the first time ever, I swear I lost count of the number of times they called me ‘Mummy.’

AND WE HAD NOT EVEN VISITED THE SHOWROOM!

So we made that much needed trip down to Piccolo House one Sunday afternoon.

MY KIDS, MY HUSBAND AND I WENT CRAZY TOGETHER.

They wanted everything. And they were quite persistent about it. Of course I had to explain to them that we could not possibly choose or buy everything due to space issues.

And then I made that promise to them –

“We will visit Piccolo House once again once we have moved to a bigger house or space.”

But I don’t blame them for wanting everything. Remember I wanted everything too when I visited their website? The apple does not fall far from the tree, after all. But seriously, Piccolo House offers an extensive range when it comes to kids furniture. You can expect to find modular beds, thematic cabinetries, play desks and essential storages that cater to your every need. They also have a wide range of bed frames and mattresses to cater to every kid.

I also absolutely love the stylish accessories which you can use to decorate your kid’s room like peel off wall decals, rugs, lightings, cushions and more!

When it comes to our little ones, storage is always a problem at home! It’s like no matter how we keep or organize their books, toys and clothes, there will ALWAYS BE NOT ENOUGH SPACE! Piccolo House understands the concern that most parents like you and me have, and provide a wide range of bookcases and storages for toys!

Whenever you are at Piccolo House, be sure to check out their bestselling products like…

Their Washable Bean Bag Chair

Sling Bookcase

Tents

Book Shelves

Loft & Bunk beds

Now let me talk a bit about their beds. At Piccolo House, the beds are designed with both the child and parents in mind. The modular beds can be transformed from single bed to a four poster bed, to a loft bed and also into a bunk bed. They are ideal for families with growing kids – you get to choose the exact components you need, customize the perfect sleep and storage solution for your child’s play, sleep and study space. Their beds that grow with your kids.

So what did we end up buying at Piccolo House?

Since the boy loves cooking (YUP), we decided that this Sugar Cube Play Kitchen (<–click on the link for deets!) would be a nice addition to the home.

True enough, this is the first thing he will do every morning.

What I like about this wooden play kitchen is the fact that it is sturdy enough for our little rough players but yet not bulky enough. It does not take up a lot of space too.

ANSWER: HIS TOY FROG!!!!!!

We fell in love with the toy box during our visit to Piccolo House the other day. Yes, Piccolo House has storage boxes in different designs and sizes!

I also had a hard time choosing the ideal book shelf for Shakeel when I was there. They have different types of book shelves! LIKE REALLY A LOT! You can even mount some of the bookshelves to the wall to save even more space! View their bookshelves by clicking HERE!

After much consideration, we decided to create a little reading corner for Shakeel.

Needless to say, Shakeel and his sisters are always hanging out at the reading corner these days.

Hopefully this will cultivate their love of reading even more – now they have even more reasons to relax and read! My next goal is to turn one whole bedroom into a library.

But this will do for now. <3

Thank you Piccolo House for making this possible. Your products are really designed for kids with so much love. <3

It’s important to personalize our kids’ room and to make it look like their most favorite part of the house.

Nowadays, Shakeel does not really latch on 24/7 unless it’s bedtime. He will still need to latch on every 2 hours or so at night, just for comfort I reckon. So that also means I can forget about date nights for now. HAHAHAHA.

But with a face like this, I think date nights can wait.

I truly enjoy breastfeeding Shakeel, and I still refuse to stop. There are so many things that I do to motivate me further in my breastfeeding journey with Shakeel like shop for cute nursing covers, for instance.

And it’s really cute to see how Shakeel will take the nursing cover and give it to me whenever he wants to latch on. Or when he sees me putting on the nursing cover, he will squeal with delight.

There are so many reasons why I love breastfeeding & why I refuse to stop:

It makes me feel good about myself.

It’s so easy and convenient

I know I am giving him the best

Night times are fuss free. I can even feed my baby when half asleep.

Needing to breastfeed him also means some quiet time for me and him. I can even use it as an excuse to escape from a conversation! “Sorry, it’s time to feed Shakeel, please excuse me!” Perfect when you bump into someone you do not quite fancy lol.

I don’t need to worry whether the milk is safe, clean or nutritionally adequate – my body takes care of it for me.

It’s impossible to forget to bring my breasts when I go out. But it’s possible to forget to bring the bottle or milk powder.

Breastfeeding works for every mood of his – sleepy, cranky, sick, tired, hungry & thirsty.

It promotes bonding – this one is possibly still the top reason why I love breastfeeding so much. He will giggle and play with me in between our sessions. I want to continue enjoying those moments with him while I still can.

Other than that, Shakeel generally enjoys his food and meal times these days. The moment he sees me getting food ready at the dining table, he will be babbling “MAM MAM MAM” or “NAK NAK NAK!” I am guessing “MAM MAM MAM” means food since we always ask him “You want to mam mam?” and “NAK NAK NAK” means “I want!”

However there are also days when he will eat only a small portion or refuse to eat totally.

Picky eating surfaces around one year of age because that’s when they will begin to feed themselves. It is therefore normal for toddlers to peck and poke at their food.

Now that Shakeel is already walking, he thinks he is a big boy and he cannot sit still for anything – NOT EVEN HIS FOOD.

This explorer of mine is super curious about everything around him!

Toddlers need less food, and that means they may prefer snacking their way through the day rather than sit down to a full-fledged feast. This boy runs everywhere now!

That said, it’s no longer about getting Shakeel seated obediently while I feed him a bowl full of porridge until he finishes it. I WISH!

So these days, I just ensure that I prepare the right food for Shakeel and I try to make it as nutritious as possible for him. I will also allow him to enjoy what I am eating as long as it is not hot or spicy.

And oh this boy loves to snack in between his meals! So I always ensure that there will be some snacks ready at home like:

low-fat string cheese

yogurt cups

apple slices or strawberry halves

whole-grain crackers with peanut butter

When I first introduced solids to Shakeel, I was initially alarmed when he finished a bowl of rice cereal one day, and totally refused it the following day. The same thing happened to some other foods, which I introduced to him like egg and cheese.

But as mentioned earlier, it is actually normal for toddlers to be confused and be inconsistent with their likes and dislikes as far as food is concerned.

Familiarity with foods is key, as a toddler may need to be exposed to new foods more than 10 times before they try it.

If your child doesn’t eat at one mealtime, you can offer a nutritious snack a few hours later. If your child doesn’t eat the snack, offer food again at the next mealtime. A child will usually eat at the second meal. Try it!

“The only thing consistent about toddler feeding is inconsistency.”

So what can we as parents do to help our little eaters enjoy a range of foods?

Eat a range of healthy foods ourselves so that the little ones will also join in and eat with us.

Gently but frequently offer new kinds of foods.

Avoid showing disgusts of disinterest when trying new foods.

Track your child’s food sensitivities and keep them in mind when preparing meals. If he does not like soft foods, give him the crunchy version for instance. Shakeel prefers his food hard and crunchy anytime. (This boy really thinks that he is a grown up, didn’t I tell you?)

Put new foods next to the food that your child already likes

Use healthy dips like home-made hummus (with little or no salt!) or plain yoghurt seasoned with herbs and garlic to encourage your child to eat fruits, vegetables and meats.

Let him feed himself by preparing more finger foods for him to hold on his own

If your child is super active like Shakeel, make sure the food is already prepared before you get him seated at the high chair.

And lastly, how much should we be feeding our toddlers?

The rule of thumb or rather hand is, the size of their stomach is approximately the size of their fist. So that’s roughly how much they should be eating.

I monitor what Shakeel’s eating behaviour is like every single day (since toddlers are inconsistent lol). If he’s eating a lot, then I will not mind if he does not drink as much milk. If he is not eating so much, then I will let him latch on like every hour or so.

Mummies, you cannot force your little ones to eat.

Many parents try to force their child to eat more than they need because they worry that their might get sick or develop a vitamin deficiency due to the lack of food.

Here’s the thing – our child’s brain will make sure that they eat enough calories for normal energy and growth.

So what we can do instead?

Encourage them through healthy eating habits and pleasant mealtimes!

For tips and more information, may I suggest this website which I think is really useful for us mummies? Click here !

It’s so much fun to dine with the family these days because we have a new addition at the dining table – SHAKEEL!

Now that he is already one year old, he can pretty much eat whatever we are eating sans the salt and other seasonings. I am going to be realistic – there are days when we just cannot avoid feeding him with salt and other seasonings because Shakeel loves to eat what we eat.

Prepare him an entirely separate meal (read: baby food) and he will pretty much tighten his lips when the food comes near the mouth.

HELLO, WEANING! HELLO BIG BOY!

(Can you stop growing up so fast? Suddenly you are eating what we eat?)

For starters, weaning is the process of moving your little one on from a diet of just milk to solid food too. The weaning process begins the first time your baby takes food from a source other than milk – whether it’s mashed banana from a spoon or a small piece of carrot.

All babies will eventually wean, whether they are allowed to self-wean or are encouraged to wean from an earlier time frame.

No pressure please.

To get your baby used to solids, it will be a great idea to establish a routine for eating. Once he is used to it, the process will get easier and enjoyable for your baby.

Here are some tips on how to establish a routine:

Set a time for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Seat your baby in the same place at mealtimes, preferably at the dining table. Put him in a high chair. Remember to pull the straps on the high chair firmly so that he cannot climb his way out.

Minimize distractions. Keep toys away and do not switch on the television or the iPad.

It’s also good to introduce vegetables to your baby during the weaning process.

Did you know that ‘vegetables first’ approach to weaning can help babies learn to like vegetables? This will help to prevent them from becoming fussy eaters as they get older.

I try my very best to include vegetables in every meal of Shakeel. He still loves his chicken porridge for lunch every day so what I will normally do is to cook the porridge with broccoli, carrot and spinach as well. When he was slightly younger, I would blend the porridge to puree it before feeding him – this was to prevent him from choking. Now that he is bigger, likes textured food and chew his food better, I no longer blend his porridge but I do ensure that the vegetables are soggy enough for him to swallow.

Shakeel loves to eat, especially when he gets to eat together with us. He likes me to directly take what’s on my plate and feed him that! But of course, he can get pretty fussy at times, especially with new food. His normal reaction to new food is equivalent to younger babies’ natural reflex to food – he will push his tongue forward to reject the food once he has the first taste of the food. If he likes it, he will demand that I feed him the same food again.

Babies are born with a natural reflex that makes them push their tongue forward when something touches it — which means they can’t use the tongue to move food from the front to the back of the mouth. If you try to push the food into your baby’s mouth, he may start to gag, which certainly isn’t going to make his first experience with solids a pleasant one. Between 4 and 6 months, this reflex usually disappears.

Since my darling boy loves to eat, I have been pretty adventurous too in the kitchen as far as preparing his meals are concerned. And on most days, I will prepare for him the same thing that I am preparing for the family.

Just a few weeks ago, I prepared Grilled Salmon with Garlic Herb Sauce.

TADA!!!

TRY IT!

Everyone (including the little boy) loved it that I cooked the same thing again a day after.

I love it when the boy gets so excited to eat! When he saw the plate of Roasted Salmon with rice, he could not wait for me to feed him!

He ate more when I fed him the salmon with rice!

Excuse me boy, do not be so cheeky and try to be Salt Bae okay because strictly no salt in your food!

The husband who is not really a salmon lover like the kids and me enjoyed the Roasted Salmon with Garlic Herb so much till his entire plate was empty!

What a successful first attempt! Not bad. HEHE.

For snack time these days, Shakeel loves my Baked Sweet Potato Fries.

They are extremely easy to eat too, and make a nice snack for the entirely family!

SWEET POTATO FRIES

Ingredients:

3 to 4 sweet potatoes

Olive Oil

Cinnamon powder

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Cut sweet potato into 2 inch batons which resemble french fries.

Place them on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

Toss until the sweet potatoes are coated with oil.

Place cookie sheet in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes

With a spatula, flip the potatoes, and continue to bake another 15 minutes or until they have a golden color.

Cool and serve.

Now, when our little ones start to eat solids, it is important to teach them to feed themselves.

Allow them to pick up food with their fingers or a spoon and to put it in their mouth. This is especially essential for developing their motor skills.

Do not be fussy about neatness during mealtimes. Expect lots of mess and just close one eye, mummies.

And I mean LOTS OF MESS. HAHA.

I mean seriously, that’s the only way our little ones will learn how to be independent and adventurous eaters.

And when they are enjoying what they eat, they will just ask you to talk to their hands if you try to engage in a conversation. Like seriously, Shakeel?

As a punishment, I fed him the sweet potato fries WITH MY HAND. HAHAHA!

Confession – I also tried to make homemade chicken nuggets, but they did not turn out that nice. After tasting it twice, Shakeel basically pushed the plate away until the nuggets rolled all over the table. Poor nuggets. LOL. Although some of you have asked me to share the recipe for that, let’s not do that for now. Let me perfect the recipe and share with you some other time?

Oh, perhaps I should mention this part – even though Shakeel has started to eat solids, I am still breastfeeding him. He does not latch on as often as before anymore, but I like the fact that he will look for me and latch on when he wants comfort or when he is simply hungry.

Do not believe in the myth that the benefits of breastmilk stop at a certain point – they do not! Instead, they continue and are more significant and longer lasting for both you and your child the longer breastfeeding continues.

If you continue to breastfeed your child past one year, he will not even need cow’s milk as long as he receives other foods rich in protein, calcium, and fats, and nurses at least a couple of times a day.

I was never the kind to slather body lotion on myself because I have always found them to be greasy and sticky on my sensitive skin. Whenever I tried to apply body lotions, my skin would react and I would scratch all over. Furthermore, with the hot climate here, slathering the skin with heavy body lotion is not quite a good idea.

But here’s the thing – I have dry skin! And it can get flaky at times.

SO HOW CAN I NOT APPLY BODY LOTION AT ALL RIGHT?

I guess it all boils down to finding the right body lotion so that my skin stays moisturised without irritating me.

A third variant, Vanilla + Almond Oil in Lotion will be released only in Watsons from Sep onwards!

When I attended the private launch weeks ago, I was in awe when they did the live product tests because the moisture level did increase like almost immediately after NIVEA Body Oil in Lotion was applied to the skin. The oil levels also decreased.

What does this mean? The skin is more hydrated without oils!

And best thing was, my sensitive skin did not react!

I WAS SOLD!

Now, I have always loved products from NIVEA because I think that their products are a great drugstore buy. Worth the money and they always deliver what they promise and claim.

That said, I am still using NIVEA Body Oil in Lotion because of the following reasons:

Super lightweight

Non-sticky

Skin becomes more hydrated almost instantly

Fast absorbing

Non-greasy

Perfect for our hot climate

Among the 2 variants, I actually prefer Cherry Blossom + Jojoba Oil in Lotion because of the pleasant and sweet fragrance it leaves right after you apply it. The lotion itself contains Jojoba Oil and lots of other essential oils, which are definitely great for the skin!

It feels super light on the skin and like mentioned earlier on, it gets absorbed into the skin within a few seconds! My skin will look super healthy after I apply it and it will stay moisturised for hours! So I cannot leave home without slathering NIVEA Body Oil in Lotion these days.

Rose + Argan Oil in Lotion smells nice as well actually, if you ask me! It has the baby scent. So at the end of the day, I am okay with either or.

But why not you try both variants out yourself and you decide which is your favourite?

You can stand to win a product from NIVEA just by leaving a review HERE!

My breastfeeding journey with Shakeel has been a rather emotional one.

No matter how well you prepare yourself for it by reading online, nothing can honestly prepare you for the depth of truth behind all those words.

Before I go any further, let me share with you the following quote.

“Whether you’re for breastfeeding or a “breast is best” type of Mama, we as Moms should offer grace to others no matter their choice or reason to not breastfeed and never, EVER make a Mom feel guilty that they don’t or didn’t breastfeed”

I am not pro-breast. I am not pro-bottle.

I am pro-mom.

One of the decisions I made when pregnant with Shakeel was to breastfeed him for at least a year. It was not easy but I wanted to at least try because I believe wholeheartedly in the benefits of breastfeeding. I had persevered through multiple hurdles and challenges with my daughters just to breastfeed them. That said, I wanted to also try my best for Shakeel and see how far I can go!

I am sure fellow mummies who breastfeed or have breastfed will understand some of the challenges of breastfeeding. As for me, I had to cope with namely:

Engorgement

Latching problems

Cracked or bleeding nipples

Mastitis

BEEN THERE. DONE THAT.

There were occasions when I felt like giving up. The worst was when I had cracked and bleeding nipples but Shakeel wanted to constantly nurse. It was worse when he was unwell. That was a nightmare! I remember crying each time he latched on because it was just too painful!

Good family support is essential. In my case, I am glad to have my husband who understands how challenging breastfeeding can get. For instance, when I had my cracked and bleeding nipples, he told me to take time off in the morning while he fed Shakeel direct from the bottle. I clearly remember what he said – “If your nipples do not heal, how can you breastfeed Shakeel with ease? It will get worse and you will end up hating breastfeeding.”

So I was given time off for about three consecutive days from about 9 am till 1 pm. And on days when my husband was not working, he told me to take a longer break so that I could spend my time expressing my milk while Shakeel drank from the bottle. It was not easy – Shakeel refused the bottle initially. He did not drink much from the bottle. And at times, he even cried endlessly because he only wanted to latch on. Again, thanks to the strong support at home, I managed to go through the ordeal. I almost felt like giving up. But when I thought about those precious breastfeeding moments with Shakeel, I told myself to persevere. My nipples healed and I could breastfeed without complications from thereon.

Motherhood is funny that way. Just when you think you have reached your limit and you cannot possibly find it in yourself to give anymore, you find a way to give just a little bit more each day.

He is one year old now and I have stopped having bleeding or cracked nipples no matter what position he is in. But it’s crazy how he likes to perform ‘nursing gymnastics’ these days.

Having cracked and bleeding nipples during the first few months of breastfeeding is normal. You just need to persevere and get all the support you can get so that you can continue your breastfeeding journey with your baby at ease.

A baby friendly hospital can help you get on the track to successful breastfeeding. Staffs at BFHI (Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative) hospitals like KKH are trained to provide breastfeeding support to new mothers and also provide a conducive environment for breastfeeding.

I am glad I made the choice to give birth at KKH. The moment Shakeel was out, the midwife ensured that Shakeel had skin-to-skin contact with me.

I was also shown how to properly breastfeed and maintain lactation, even when separated from Shakeel.

I clearly remember how it was like when Shakeel was hospitalized for jaundice. He was not able to latch on 24/7 because it was crucial for him to undergo phototherapy without constant interruption.

At the hospital, I was also given the breast pump to express and maintain my milk supply before passing bottles of my expressed milk to the nurse while I was there during the daytime. Whenever they brought Shakeel out for his feeding, they would ask me to latch him on for a while to maintain my breast milk supply.

And whenever I latched Shakeel on for a while during his feeding time, the nurse would always be next to me to ensure that I was doing it right. Mothers who are experiencing difficulty breastfeeding are encouraged to always consult a lactation consultant, doctor or nurse for advice, especially during the first six months of breastfeeding. This also helps to determine whether there is a need to introduce formula milk.

Here’s the thing about infant formula milk.

Although the overall composition is not the same as breastmilk, infant formula milk is enough to meet the normal nutritional needs of non-breastfed infants. Regardless of the price, all infant formula milk brands in Singapore contain the AVA approved essential nutrients for the So there is really no such thing as “certain milk formula brands are better for the child’s development than others.”

Breastmilk is always best for babies, but if breastfeeding is not possible, formula feeding is the next best alternative to breast milk. And that’s perfectly okay!

Both breastfeeding and formula have their places in society, and as the mother, it does not matter which way we plan to nourish our babies as long as they get all the necessary nutrients. People can only talk so much, but ultimately, we know we only want what’s best for our child.

As of now, I do not want to stop breastfeeding Shakeel as yet because I truly treasure the special bonding experience that comes with it, and for any urgent feeding moments I can just latch him on and soothe him. I can even go out without the need for the diaper bag on days when I feel lazy. I do not want to be too dependent on the bottle or formula milk for now. (The diaper bag can get pretty heavy with the bottles and all, I think.)

On several occasions when I felt like stopping breastfeeding, I would remember how he looks at me and smile while nursing. I would also remember how he snuggles in close to me every single night. And then I told myself, “Keep doing this!”

One day he will no longer need me as much and I will have to let him go. But for now I still nourish him as much as he still needs me.

Mummies, do not give up easily if you are breastfeeding or intend to breastfeed your baby. Should you need information on breastfeeding, , visit www.healthhub.sg/earlynutrition

To end of the post, I’ll like to share a cute video to celebrate motherhood:

At Delcie’s, they bake their cakes using their own natural cake recipes that do not contain any form of eggs, dairy products, chemicals or egg-aiding agents such as emulsifier, stabiliser, commercial egg-replacer or most commonly used in vegetarian bakery, whey protein.

Yes everyone, there is such a thing called healthy and baby friendly cakes!

In fact, Delcie’s are known for their delicious yet healthy cakes!

If you were to visit their website, their cakes are categorized as such:

Impressive, huh?

Their baby friendly cakes do not contain any form of eggs, dairy, nuts, and cocoa powder.

Now, as we all know it, introducing certain food too early to babies may cause allergic reactions, botulism, or dangerous bacteria to enter the baby’s system.

Ingredients that can be hazardous to baby if introduced too early include:

Let me tell you more about Shakeel’s cake smash, and I will be real honest about it. 🙂

Shakeel’s smash cake experience was more funny than anything.

He was super curious at first.

He started to study and examine the cake.

And I think he decided that he did not want to continue demolishing the cake.

But he changed his mind and came back for a bit more.

And then his Mummy being the opportunist she is, told him to smash more!

Oopsie?

I was really trying to get Shakeel to experiment and get dirty with the cake! Okay fine, I am sorry!

My boy just did not want to destroy the poor cake, I guess.

HAHAHA I COULD NOT STOP LAUGHING THROUGHOUT EVEN THOUGH MY CLOTHES WERE ALL ALREADY COVERED WITH CAKE BY THEN!

You should also do a smash cake photo-shoot for your little one’s birthday and just laugh yourself silly like me.

It will be fun – you can never know how your little one will react to you insisting that they smash the cake!

Thank you so much to Delcie’s Desserts for the smash cake! <3

So Mummies, if you want to order a cake for your little one’s birthday and wants him/her to enjoy the cake as well, go order from Delcie’s! Don’t worry, they can customise the cake to any theme or character!

My baby Shakeel Adly turned 1 on 5 August 2017 and boy did we have a bash at the zoo!

Well, not the real zoo. But it sure felt like it.

Got to thank Sprinkie Parties for designing the e-invite for me! The initial idea was to print out the invites and mail them out, but based on past experiences where some guests either did not receive the invites on time or at all, I think it would be a better idea to whatsapp them the invite instead. Plus, we got to save some trees!

Let me backtrack a bit- after every birthday party, I told myself that would be the last time – no way would I want to go through the planning, the cleaning up, and the exhaustion which would last for days AGAIN!

Ah see that face of mine? When I have that face, just do not come near to me. LOL.

There were also many reasons as to why I did not want to throw a party for Shakeel initially and they included:

He will not remember it.

No space in the house for birthday gifts

The party is not really for the birthday boy

He will be cranky and tired during the party

No use for the décor items after party

Coming up with good contents for the goody bags can be quite a challenge

I did not want my mum to volunteer to cook for the party

Crowds overwhelm babies

But then again, a baby’s first birthday is always something special for the parents, grandparents, close friends and family.

Celebrating it is therefore, a must.

Now let’s go back to the reasons why I do not want to throw the party for Shakeel. Just entertain me while I debate with myself for all the points mentioned above. LOL.

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He will not remember it.

Even though he will not remember it, it is still something nice to do something special to celebrate his first year. Besides, we can always look at the pictures and videos together with him when he is much bigger. Those will serve as memories, which will last a lifetime.

And for the photography, I had none other than Fauzi Anuar from Zee & Marina! Besides being a really good friend, he is also a skilled photographer who is most importantly, super passionate about his trade and what he does best.

Do not click on picture. It’s not a video lol.

Thank you Fauzi for doing this for me and Shakeel! I can never thank you enough but let’s have latte anytime soon? My treat. Sorry I did not take a proper picture of you. Hope the above screenshot of one of the videos I took will suffice. I am not a photographer, after all. LOL.

Fauzi Anuar specializes in the following:

Interior

Potraiture

Food

Still Life

Travels

This guy has bagged several awards too. Proud of you as always!

To enquire more about the services provided by Fauzi Anuar:

Whatsapp: 96560662

Facebook: Zee & Marina

IG: @fauzianuar

Email: zee@zeeandmarina.com

Website: zeeandmarina.com

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No space in the house for birthday gifts:

It does not matter – there will never be space in the house for ANYTHING! So yes , the party must go on.

(A week after the party now and I am still thinking where to store his gifts.)

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The party is not really for the birthday boy

With a little more effort and thinking being put into the planning of the party, the party can also be for the birthday boy to enjoy. And that was what I did for Shakeel’s party!

Instead of the usual magician or party entertainer which might be too overwhelming for the birthday boy, I thought I should have something that Shakeel would be able to enjoy as well.

Shakeel loves his ZOOMOOV rides so much and it would be cool to have them at his first birthday party! So I contacted Grace from ZOOMOOV, had a meetup with her to plan where the rides would take place, and that was basically it! She had everything under control!

In case you don’t already know, ZOOMOOV provides safari themed animal rides for kids aged between 1 to 12 years old. But adults, you too can ride on them with your kids like this one adult here.

ZOOMOOV now has party at home packages that includes:

Rides

Art & Craft Acitvities

Storytelling

I am so glad I took up the ZOOMOOV Party Package for Shakeel’s party because they kept the kids entertained throughout the party so I really did not have to worry about the entertainment part.

The first hour of the party was basically for the kids to enjoy the ZOOMOOV rides outside the clubhouse.

We thought it would be a better idea to have the rides outdoor and by the pool so that kids had more space to move around. The party was at level 2 of the clubhouse, by the way! A zoo ranger from ZOOMOOV was there throughout to assist the kids. It was really like going to the zoo! I actually could not contain my happiness when I saw how the birthday boy and his little guests enjoyed the rides throughout the entire hour!

Just look at this video of my boy enjoying his ZOOMOOV ride!

Since Shakeel is still too young to be taking the ZOOMOOV rides on his own, he had his sisters taking turns to accompany him on the rides!

The funniest thing that happened was when the security guard approached me and asked whether I was making money out of the animal rides because a resident saw the kids inserting tokens into the animal rides. Firstly, that resident is too free to be poking his nose into every resident’s business every now and then – it’s always him complaining about everything! Secondly, it was not a business that I was conducting but a kid’s party – all the rides were strictly for the invited guests only! The only way to get the animals moving was by inserting the token! Thirdly, the resident must have been so envious and wished he too could ride on the ZOOMOOV animals. Sorry but I would not give you a token even, Uncle.

Anyway, matter was resolved in just 5 minutes and the security guard in charge apologized to me.

After an hour with ZOOMOOV rides, it was time to go back to the function room to enjoy the aircon and the remaining activities with ZOOMOOV.

So the kids were invited to do craft work related to the theme of the party! ZOOMOOV’s party package comes together with kids tables and stools which are meant for the craft activities. So convenient!

After the craft activities, the storyteller from ZOOMOOV gathered all the kids to tell them a story related to the party theme as well followed by games!

Thank you so much ZOOMOOV for making it a reality to have you guys for Shakeel’s 1st Birthday Party!

If you intend to have ZOOMOOV for your kid’s party, here are more details:

I also decided to have a section for Shakeel and his guests to play at. And since Shakeel is only 1, I had to plan something that was age appropriate for him. I do not think it would be a good idea to have henna, face painting or even body tattoo this time round.

I rented a Lakeshore Tot Tunnel Climber.

Little Tikes Endless Adventures Swing Along Castle

I could so imagine Shakeel having fun! Unfortunately, when the items arrived, they were not as what they seemed at the website. The Lakeshore Tot Tunnel Climber was in such a pretty bad condition, and covered with hideous bedsheet like material. When I removed the bedsheet cover, what was underneath was even more shocking. The entire vinyl material was covered with tapes. Yes, I am referring to the edges of the playpads, the tunnels and the ramp. We decided to just put the whole thing aside during the party because no way was it safe for babies and toddlers to play with! (The store owner got questioned by me after the party, of course lol.)

Thank goodness the Little Tikes Endless Adventures Swing Along Castle was in an acceptable condition – Shakeel had so much sitting on the swing!

Besides the play area, I thought there should also be a baby food section especially for the birthday boy and his little guests. After all, it was HIS PARTY!

Anya Meals

And I could not think of a better person to provide the food for the baby section other than Jayina from Anya Meals!

For starters, Anya Meals provides halal homemade baby food service for your little ones in frozen cubes. Now, this is especially useful for working mummies who do not have the time to prepare or cook baby food for their little ones but do not want to compromise on the nutrients which their babies get on a daily basis.

For Shakeel’s party, Jayina provided me with a list of menu for me to choose from for Shakeel and his little guests.

I chose:

Thick & Creamy Potato & Leak Leek Soup

Beef Bolognese

Cheesy Tomato Pasta

Shakeel really loved ALL OF THE FOOD provided by Anya Meals, especially the potato soup!

And best of all, mummies too can prepare the exact same thing for their little ones using the frozen cubes and stocks from Anya Meals. Follow @anyameals in IG and FB because Jayina shares recipes for the little ones every now and then!

I wanted to book the function room at an earlier timing but I could not. Since I could only book the 4.30 pm to 10 pm slot, I decided to plan the party around Shakeel’s naptime. Or rather, I planned Shakeel’s naptime prior to the party. On normal days, he will usually have his nap at 10 am and 3 pm. Since the party would start at 6 pm, we decided to let him have his second nap at about 4 pm instead so that he would be fresh throughout the party.

The ideal thing to do would be to plan around the naptime of the other little guests as well but I think it is impossible to do so since every baby pretty much has a different nap schedule.

Also, I ensured that the party was not too long as the little ones will get tired out pretty easily.

Party started at 6 pm and ended at 8.30 pm. Not too short, not too long – just perfect.

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No use for the décor items after party

Coming up with the theme for the party was quite a challenge too because while Shakeel was in love with Baby Shark Doo Doo at that point of time, I thought it would be ridiculous and insensitive to request for the guests to dress up as sharks. Not everyone has the shark costume and I wouldn’t want the parents to go shopping for an outfit just to attend the party. I would not want the kids to feel out of place also should they not dress up according to the theme.

So since he liked and still likes elephants, penguins and recently lions too, what other theme could I possibly come up with other than something that was animal related, right?

We then decided on…

LET’S GO TO THE ZOO!

Safest theme for first birthdays, I reckon. Now, of course I could opt to be different and come out with totally out of the world themes for his first birthday party, but why would I want to do that really? Again, the party was to make Shakeel happy, not to feed my ego.

Sprinkie Parties:

I am really so glad that I have my sis from Sprinkie Parties because she will always ensure that the decor part is settled by her whenever we organise parties for the kids! And the best thing about engaging a party planner is – you do not have to worry about the décor and what to do with the décor items after the party. Seriously, doing your own décor for your kid’s party can be pretty tricky and a waste of money because really, you will have no use for the décor stuff once the party is over.

All I needed to do was to tell Sprinkie Parties what the theme was and she went, “Okay, consider it done.”

I was actually the super anxious one despite knowing that everything would be in place.

My sister actually provided me with a detailed package details for the party so that I knew exactly what I was getting. She knows me too well. So professional right? I think this should be the way when you are doing business, whether you are related or not. If you want to be taken seriously, then show that you take pride in your work. Right?

Sprinkie Parties did not disappoint as expected. I especially love how they pay extra attention to details all the time. Shakeel’s party was no exception

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Thank you for making us feel like we were really animals at the zoo! (Is that a good thing or not hahahahaha!)

Thank you Mama E and Uncle Bert for this wonderful gift for Shakeel!

So if you are looking for a party planner for your little one’s party, look no further! Sprinkie Parties can customize your party according to whatever theme you wish for.

Coming up with good contents for the goody bags can be quite a challenge

The goody bags, I insisted on taking charge because I just love making goody bags for my kids’ birthday from scratch!

Since the theme was Let’s Go To The Zoo, I googled for goody bag ideas before shopping for the materials!

Customised Stickers & Tags

After Sprinkie Parties came up with the designs for the stickers and thank you tags, I got FromFranWithLove to print them out for me since they are really good at that!

But should you require someone to help you with the designing of your stickers or tags, you can get FromFranWithLove to do it for you as well! The founder, Hana, is a graphic designer, so you do not have to worry about the designs! Their designs are seriously awesome! The quality of their stickers and printing are really good too!

Besides stickers and tags, they can customize other things as well! I just saw their updates for Teacher’s Day like personalized pouches, EZLink/Flashpay, mason jars, mugs, passport covers and more!

To order or to view their samples, visit them!

IG: @fromfranwithlove

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And I am super fortunate to have so many great brands coming on board for Shakeel’s birthday!

The contributions for Shakeel’s goody bags for instance were just WOW!

Rafferty’s Garden Baby Food!

Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine having Rafferty’s Garden Baby Food as one of the contents for Shakeel’s goody bags and also the baby food section!

I mean, I would occasionally buy Rafferty’s Garden Baby Food at NTUC Fairprice for Shakeel but to have them for all of Shakeel’s little guests? Unbelievable till now!

You can purchase Carman’s Muesli Bars exclusively from NTUC Fairprice!

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Country Gold Anzac Biscuits

The bigger kids also got to bring home a big packet of Country Gold Anzac Biscuits!

Now, my kids and Shakeel love these crunchy golden baked oats, coconut and lashings of golden syrup biscuits! They are even great for dunking!

Country Gold Anzac Biscuits can be purchased from either NTUC Fairprice or Cheers.

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Kidz Paradise:

Every goody bag also contained one travel balm from Kidz Paradise!

Kidz Paradise specialise in Essential Rubs and Blends Infused by 100% Pure Theraupetic Essential Oils, and have been around since 2009. They have a wide range of rubs for babies, kids and adults. Best of all, their products are HSA Certified!

I have personally tried out their vapour rub on Shakeel, and it worked wonders when he had a very bad flu. KidZ Paradise is definitely a hit with mummies!

Do check them out via:

IG: @kidzparadise

Whatsapp: 90306701

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Nutella Tarts by Pink Sucree

The big adults also got to bring home something – Tella-licious Tarts from Pink Sucree!

I can just keep eating their nutella tarts because I sincerely feel that they sell the best homemade nutella tarts! This is also the reason why I must make sure I have at least 2 bottles of their nutella tarts for Hari Raya every single year.

Besides selling the nutella tarts in the normal bottles, Pink Sucree also does customization for events like birthdays and weddings!

Now, this is another issue, which I often experience. My mum #AzizahCanCook, she is always so eager to cook for all of our events, especially if its for her grandchildren. As much as I love her cookings, I do not want her to be so tired during the actual event. I think it is much better for her to just enjoy the party and relax rather.

Then comes another issue, who or which company to engage for the food?

Farah Diana Catering:

I clearly remember having iftar at Farah Diana Restaurant and i also remember how super nice the food was!

So I decided to check with one of the bosses Diana whether she would be available for Shakeel’s birthday party. Thank goodness she gave me a YES and told me to decide on the menu. They are always fully booked, for your information.

After thinking it through, I decided on the following:

Nasi Jagung

Ayam Masak Merah

Sweet & Sour Fish

Black Pepper Beef

Fried Bee Hoon

Mini Pizza

Rojak Buah

Bubur Chacha

THE MOMENT THEY CAME TO DO THE SET UP FOR THE FOOD, I KNEW THAT I HAD MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE.

The spread of food looked so good but they tasted even better! They used fresh ingredients for all the dishes! I actually wanted to eat there and then but as you know it, the host of the event will never get to eat or enjoy the food until the event finishes.

But I saw my parents trying out the dishes. Without even me asking for their feedback, they came to me and my dad said “Cua, super nice the food! The ingredients used are all fresh! Very good!”

My mum could not agree more.

Even my mother-in-law who is as fussy as my mother when it comes to food agreed that the food was really good, and I saw her going for her second helping, third helping, and maybe fourth too. LOL.

Their services provided were tiptop. Complete table layout, skirting, warmers, full set of disposable wares & serviettes were provided. They came on time to do the setup, and they came back on time too to collect the catering equipment.

I will give Farah Diana Catering 5 out 5 stars!

If you are looking to engage their services for your event or wedding, here are the details:

It’s necessary to keep the invite light although we will always be tempted to invite the entire world! A room too crowded of even familiar faces can overwhelm the birthday boy, what more strangers? Even though Shakeel is generally okay with unfamiliar faces, I do not think his first birthday party is the best time to launch his social career.

Therefore, I decided to keep his birthday party on the intimate side – I invited only those really close to us and those who have babies around the same age as Shakeel.

Shakeel was in a relatively good mood throughout the party. I actually did not expect him to be in such a happy mood during the cake cutting!

Watch the video and you will get what I mean!

The moment everyone started singing the birthday song to him and clapping their hands, Shakeel flashed his biggest smile and looked at every single person in the room, maybe to check if everyone was singing the song for him. I guess he really knew the attention was on him and strangely enough, he loved it!

Such a great idea to have them onboard for Shakeel’s birthday because ALMOST EVERYONE came up to me and said that the cake was extremely nice and not sweet! Even the fondant was not sweet or hard and could be eaten together easily with the cake.

I REALLY LOVED THE CAKE!

So we huffed.

And we puffed.

And we huffed again.

And we puffed again.

Finally, we blew out the tiny candle.

You too can order the exact same birthday cake for your little one by clicking HERE. Okay maybe not exactly the same because they changed the lion topping with an elephant since Shakeel loves elephants!

So cute the little ellie!

Besides the birthday cake, Sweetest Moments also did these customized brownies for Shakeel!

HAHA CAN YOU SEE AT LEAST 11 OF SHAKEEL THE LION?

And Mini Safari cupcakes

And these Modern Treats which consisted of:

10 Pastel Cubes

10 Confetti Donuts

10 Peachy Tarts

Thank you Sweetest Moments for making Shakeel’s 1st Birthday Party the sweetest possible!

Actually coming to think about it, Shakeel only started getting cranky at about 8.30 pm to signal to us that party was over and we should stick to our promise. LOL.

Except for one or two invited guests who did not turn up, the rest of the guests turned up for the party! I am so touched!

You know, my buddy Nura had an event at Saffinah on Shakeel’s birthday and I knew that there was no way she could skip the event as she was the moderator. I did not expect her to come also. Despite me telling her to just attend to her event, I was so touched when her husband and kids turned up for the party for a short while before joining Nura at the event. Thank you so much for that, my Nula! And of course thank you Esman, Nyla, Oumar and Bibik Belacan for your presence! You guys are really precious. <3

And lastly, thank you to all the guests for making time to celebrate Shakeel’s BIG DAY with us. It really meant a lot to us!

Thank you Kakak Sharleez, Kakak Mysha and Kakak Myreen! You are the best sisters to your Adik Shakeel! Thank you for loving him as much as Mummy loves all of you. <3

Thank you Daddy & Mak for always being there for us!

Thank you Mak & Bapak for coming and staying throughout the party.

Thank you Aan, Papa Yan, Shan & Shaista !

(Thank you Aan especially for rushing from your event to be with us for Shakeel’s party before rushing back to your event again. We really appreciate you being the emcee for the party! LOL)

Thank you Papa Piq for being there!

Thank you Mama E & Uncle Bert for the setup and your presence!

Thank you to my helper Lastri for being there & helping me with Shakeel so that I did not go crazy.

Thank you Aunty Sabby! (#SofianConfirmLayan and #Azizahcancook had to photobomb)

Thank you Uncle Esman, Nyla & Oumar! Aunty Nura, you were missed!

Thank you Uncle Fauzi, Aunty Isda, Isyah & Fasha & Izz Fareez!

Thank you Aunty Nona, Uncle Hisham & boys!

Thank you Uncle Nazim & family!

Thank you Aunty Saliana & family!

Thank you Aunty Jihan & family!

Thank you Aunty Anna & family, and Aunty Raihan and family!

Thank you Aunty Sha & Family!

Hi Uncle Hisham at the back, you like to photobomb also?

Thank you Kak Sizzling Dyyana and daughters!

Thank you Myra and family!

Thank you Aunty Kim & family!

Thank you

PS: Uncle Ariff (PM) & family, we did not get a photo taken with you guys! But thank you nevertheless for coming. <3

“MUMMY, IT’S OVERRRRRRRRRR..”

Happy turning 1 once again, my boy! You have no idea of the amount of happiness you have brought into my life. May Allah keep you safe always and bless you with health, happiness and endless joy in life. I love you so very much even words cannot express it enough. <3

To the lovely bunch of people mentioned in this post, thank you for contributing to Shakeel’s party in a way or another. Thank you for making his party possible! I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

It’s important for us ladies to be beautiful inside and out, literally.

The inside, how many of us really take good care of it, especially after giving birth?

I DIDN’T. BUT NOW I TRY. ONE OF THE REASONS IS BECAUSE AGE IS CATCHING UP.

(Sidenote: It’s just so impossible for me to take photos these days without the boy photo-bombing every picture. HAHA)

Anyway. I like how innovative everyone is these days for the sake of health and beauty.

Even the hard to consume jamu is now suddenly tasty and easy to consume!

HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE (ADORE) LOVE JAMU?

First things first, Adore Jamu is meant only for ladies.

Men, you can still read and convey the message(s) to your wife/spouse/mother/friend/sister/colleague/you fill in the blank.

Adore is a modern herbal drink containing a mixture of 13 selected herbs namely:

Photo credit to @adore.audela_hq

I have been drinking it, and I am just glad that it tastes like a normal drink! The thing about me is that it’s normally so hard for me to consume anything with jamu. But Adore Love Jamu tastes really nice, so phewww!

How’s the taste like?

It tastes like a lemon with rose infused drink!

Don’t worry, not even a hint of jamu taste, okay?

(This is crucial especially if you cannot stand the taste/smell/sight of jamu like me!)

WHY DRINK ADORE LOVE JAMU?

If you ask me, you should drink it because it helps to solve the problems that us women always experience.

Ok Happy 8th Anniversary, Icon Interior Design!

OKAY FINE, IT WILL BE A BIG CELEBRATION AS WELL!

I will be revealing the winners soon for Icon Home Challenge too! (<—click to view the top 5 finalists).

Meanwhile, here’s the full lineup of events happening at Icon Interior Design on 5 August 2017, Saturday, which will be broadcasted LIVE IN FB VIA THEIR FB PAGEAS WELL!

WHAT??? CAKE CUTTING?

This is absurd! How can they leave me out?

Well, Shakeel has a message for you then, Icon Interior Design!

See how sad Shakeel is.

IT’S SHAKEEL’S BIRTHDAY TOO ON AUGUST 5 AND HE WANTS A SLICE OF THE CAKE!

OKAY FINE! I will order a 2 tier cake just for him then!

And hey, there will be Chef Syed too? I like this chap – he is a good sense of humour. I did watch several episodes of Siapa Master! Who have been to 99 Bistro? Heard Chef Syed’s “Sedaplicious” Bamboo Biryani is really nice!

I wonder what he will be cooking during his Live Cooking on August 6 at Icon Interior Design!

WOW I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE EVENT (IF I’M INVITED)!

Free cake for Shakeel.

Free food.

Free doorgifts.

And for homeowners who sign up with Icon Interior Design during their 8th Anniversary Fair, you will get to enjoy all of the following for FREE!

NOT DONE YET.

ESPECIALLY FOR MY READERS, SHOW THE ID THE FOLLOWING TO GET AN ADDITIONAL WMF CUTLERY SET (24) FOR FREE!

DISCLAIMER:

THIS WMF CUTLERY SET IS ONLY FOR MY READERS WHO MENTION MY NAME THE MOMENT YOU SIGN UP. YOU CANNOT KEEP QUIET AND THEN LATER WHEN YOU BUMP INTO ME OUTSIDE AT THE MARKET YOU TELL ME THAT YOU DID NOT GET TO ENJOY THE FREEBIES MENTIONED IN MY BLOG. THE IDS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GIVE YOU THE WMF SET IF YOU DO NOT MENTION MY NAME. AND THEN YOU TELL ME IT’S NOT FAIR.

LOL. OKAY SO MUCH DRAMA AND EXPLANATION JUST TO GET A FREE WMF CUTLERY SET HAHAHA.

HOW GOOD ARE THE DEALS THIS TIME IF YOU SIGN UP?

CAN YOU READ? NEITHER CAN I.

So let me type out the packages!

HDB BTO PREMIUM FLAT PACKAGE:

From $6,888

HDB BTO STANDARD FLAT PACKAGE:

From $9,788

HDB BTO KITCHEN PACKAGE:

From $5,688

HDB KITCHEN + 2 BATHROOM PACKAGE:

From $21,288

WHAT’S SO EXPENSIVE?

I know so many of you do not want to engage interior designers because YOU THINK they will charge you extra for their services ON TOP OF THE RENOVATION PRICE.

NOT AT ICON INTERIOR DESIGN.

In fact, you can compare their prices with other renovation companies out there. More or less the same. But the plus point about engaging Icon Interior Design is the very fact that they will design your house with taste AT NO EXTRA COST!

Who wants to come to their 8th Anniversary Fair & get a free quotation at the very least?

All you need to do is to bring your floorplan (and yourself) along!

To book an appointment for their 8th Anniversary Fair on either 5 August or 6 August 2017, here are the details before I (or you) forget as we go further into this post!

———————————–

WHEN: 5 to 6 August 2017

TIME: 10 AM TO 8 PM

WHERE: ICON INTERIOR DESIGN @ 441 MACHPHERSON ROAD

TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT:

WHATSAPP/SMS/CALL: 8212 7652

———————————–

Otherwise, you can also walk in during the day of the fair and look for any ID to attend to you.

Do not forget to….

MENTION ETRANGLE!

HAHAAHAH OK OK I WILL STOP BEING ANNOYING.

Now, let’s talk about problems that most homeowners these days face with their BTO flat.

WHY SO SMALL???

That’s right, the main problem with most BTOs these days is that they are really small, and they are shrinking by the day. So by the time our kids get married and purchase a BTO flat, the flat will be the size of a bathroom I think.

So the struggle to make the space look bigger is real.

What can you do then as homeowners?

MAKE DO? OR MAKE THINGS WORK?

Read along as I share with you tips on how to make your house look bigger than what it actually is., using pictures of the 5 Finalists as examples.

Tip 1:

Make your room appear larger by painting the walls and detailing in different shades of one colour such as off-white.

Good idea to use light coloured craftstone as the TV feature wall! It does not make the living room area look cluttered and small!

Just imagine if the owner had gone for a darker colour.

Tip 2:

Include mirrors in the space. The reflection will make a room look bigger.

Look at the picture below, for instance. Doesn’t the mirror give you the impression that there is an extension to the living room? Actually what you are seeing is just a reflection of the dining table area.

Tip 3:

If you have the room, pull your sofa away from the wall slightly.

It will create breathing room and make the space seem larger from the shadows created behind it.

Tip 4:

Choose colors that are in the same color family and use tone-on-tone woven upholstery fabrics and wall finishes,

Cool colors and delicate warm colors on most surfaces give the room a more open look.

Tip 5:

Paint strategically.

The classic tip of using white or paler hues is still spot-on advice for painting a smaller space.

Tip 6:

Even for our minuscule bathroom, we can do wonders to make it look bigger.

Go airy with white on white

Use a glass panel

Tip 7:

Keep everything to the same tone/colour as much as you can

Go big on the mirrors

Apply bright lighting

Tip 8:

You may not be able to change a lot of things in your small kitchen to make it bigger but you can create the illusion of a larger space.

Keep everything in the same color family, with minor variation.

Light colors, or all white helps too.

Tip 9: Kitchen

If you do not really cook that much or have much use for the cabinets, opt for a minimalist look instead.

Keep things open and fuss free.

Tip 10:

It’s an open secret that living spaces tend to look more spacious with an open kitchen.

But if you are like my mum and constantly cook using belacan or spices, then please do not go for the open concept kitchen. It’s not good idea especially if you have sensitive nose like me.

Okay 10 tips.

I wanted to keep the tips to just 8 (since it’s their 8th Anniversary what!) but nah, too cliché. And it’s also because I am generous like that. Lol.

And guess what? Icon Interior Design is wayyyy more generous than me!

Are you ready to know the results for Icon Home Challenge? Or are you already asleep from all the reading? LOL.

.

.

.

Okay after calculating the total number of votes from the public (and the finalists lol!), from the bosses, and from me, we have the results!

.

.

.

FIRST PRIZE: $2000 CASH

HOUSE NUMBER 3

SECOND PRIZE: $1500 CASH

HOUSE NUMBER 1

THIRD PRIZE: $1000 CASH

HOUSE NUMBER 5

I would like to also congratulate the consolation winners ($200 CASH):

HOUSE NUMBER 2:

HOUSE NUMBER 4:

CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE!

Thank you for allowing Icon Interior Design and me to feature your beautiful homes for this season of Icon Home Challenge!

Go collect your prizes on August 5 okay? Must dress up okay because there will be photo taking and all!

Once again, Icon Interior Design’s 8th Anniversary Fair is happening from 5th to 6th August 2017!

To book an appointment & get a free quotation for your new home, take note of the following:

Nope, there is no typo in the title of this post. I know some of you want to spot my mistakes only right because it makes you happy like that?

But yup, no typo.

EIGHT IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT.

HAHAHAHA.

Why eight then?

READ ON AH.

Only at Icon Interior Design will you get rewarded big time just by renovating your house with them!

I like how they conscientiously make the effort to give back to their customers through competitions like ICON HOME CHALLENGE for instance.

I mean, which other renovation company does that even? (Even if they do, they are just copycats & followers hahahaa.)

Since I am always blogging about Icon Interior Design, I think it’s really important to REWARD MY BLOG READERS who sign up with them every now and then, even if it means more cost for Icon Interior Design. (SORRY BOSSES LOL.)

Some cannot see the reason why they have to mention my name when they sign up with Icon Interior Design. Some think it’s not necessary to tell the ID that they read my blog.

Icon Home Challenge is definitely one of the perks of being MY READER, besides the freebies which only my readers will stand to enjoy!Now you know why ah? 🙂

So anyway, Icon Interior Design will be turning 8 soon and they intend to celebrate their 8th Anniversary with you and me!

If you want the truth, I used to cringe a lot before when I saw how the furnishings just spoilt some of the nicely renovated houses. There were quite a number of houses that did not qualify for the Icon Home Challenge due to the wrong choice of sofa or curtain or carpet or ceiling fan.

Let me give you some examples.

If you choose Scandinavian concept for your house renovation, then do not buy ruffled curtains from Joo Chiat Complex ah. I have to cover my eyes you know if I see that?

If you want minimalist concept, do not go overboard with the furnishings. That’s maximalist outlandish concept already, sis and bro.

If you want Victorian concept, then do not put one wall mount PVC fan ah. I will not hesitate to pull that fan out if I were to visit your house.

I can go and on with the wrong choices of furnishings and home decor stuff.

Get inputs from your ID as much as you possibly can before you start shopping for your furniture. They will not charge you anything for the home furnishing advice, so why not?

(Important: You can only tag 1 friend per comment. The more friends you tag, the more chances you have to be picked as a winner. You can tag as many as 10303040995955949939393 friends as long as it’s one tag per comment! I will choose the more hardworking ones as the winners haha!)

This giveaway will end on August 3 2017, Friday at 10 pm.

So keep tagging your friends here!

Remember, one tag per comment & you need to tag 4 people at least!

Stay close to my blog okay?

Next post will be the results for the Icon Home Challenge as well as MORE DETAILS about Icon Interior Design’s 8th Anniversary Celebration/Fair!

(I heard they are intending to have a cooking session and invite all the winners for the Icon Homr Challenge as well as the Facebook Giveaway Contest! Ssssshhhh.)

I cannot wait to share more with you but good things have to wait, they say. OK LOR!

Meanwhile, if you want to be in the waiting list for Icon Interior Design’s 8th Anniversary Fair, you can…

As a mother of 4, I have had my fair share of disasters when it comes to dressing my babies. Buying those really cute but too complicated wear outfits is A BIG NO NO!

9 years on and along came Shakeel. So when the time came for me to shop for my little Shark’s wardrobe, I had learnt my lesson and now go for practical instead of going overboard.

Thank goodness for OETEO’s (ee-tay-o) EASYEO rompers which have no fastening and thus making it hassle-free and easy to dress your little ones up in a few quick minutes!

Look at this cute EASYEO romper which Shakeel was wearing. If I had not told you, you would have guessed that it was a polo tee and shorts right?

But surprise, surprise, it’s an EASYEO romper! EEEEHAAAAAA!

Yes, their Classic Essential, Little Dreamers and Little Visionaries rompers are buttonless, mummies! The elastic waistband creates a gentle snug fit that makes it so comfortable for babies!

Just watch this short clip and you will know what I mean!

The EASYEO that Shakeel was wearing even comes in a set!

Set Consists of:

Little Inventor Romper

Little Inventor Beanie

Little Inventor Welcoming Blanket

Little Inventor Mittens Set

Little Inventor Booties Set

One thing that I often try to avoid when dressing Shakeel up is BUTTONS! I think with baby clothes, buttons are pretty much in the way of everything. They are definitely not baby friendly – even the happiest baby can turn cranky instantly! I am not sure whether this has happened to you before but when it comes to dressing Shakeel up, he will always try to wriggle away before I am even done with one button! I am not sure who is the impatient one here – ME OR HIM.

This Little Dreamers is made of 100% fine cotton, and it has an inbuilt fold over mittens and footies too! And just like the other OETEO’S EASYEO romper, this EASYWEAR romper one has a polyester elastic waistband as well!

No buttons, no snaps, no zips!

SAY YES TO A HAPPIER BABY!

Let’s face it mummies – baby clothes with buttons, zips and snaps are fiddly, time consuming and stressful for the mummy!

Oh, one more thing I super love about the patent pending OETEO’s EASYEO rompers is how they come with a back pocket flap which can be folded compactly for easy storage or brought along when you are out and about as a spare outfit in case of a diaper blow-out!

Watch this!

Actually there are so many plus points about OETEO’s EASYEO rompers!

Soft and fine cotton

Gentle snug fitting

No zips. No snaps. No buttons.

Effortless dressing

Time saving

Foldable and thoughtful

Good value for money

Comfort aside, OETEO’s baby apparel are safe and free of harmful substances as they are made of high quality OEKO-TEX® certified fabric.

OETEO (ee-tay-o) also offers baby apparel (0-18 months) and Family style apparel (postpartum styles for ladies, men’s polo and tees) so that the whole family can step out in style together.

The greatest creation yet!

Thanks OETEO for making dressing up moments for my boy so fast and fuss free!

Finally, we will now be able to share our chocolate equally as a family (without the squabbles too)!

(And when the kids are not watching, we can share them with each other – just my husband and I!)

When the husband and kids are not home, they are all mine to enjoy!

Seriously now (haha!), Kinder Schoko Bons Crispy is our new favourite when it comes to family sharing and treats!

Kinder Schoko Bons Crispy is a crisp and milk chocolate coated wafer biscuit with a delicate milky and cocoa filling! And if that’s not enough, it is covered with crunchy wafer & crispy cocoa sprinkles!

Basically, it looks like this.

Bite size and individually wrapped – what could possibly go wrong?

Whenever it’s the weekend, we love to spend our time together watching TV and sharing our favourite treats like Kinder Schoko Bons Crispy together. That’s one good way we can catch up with each other’s life and stay connected with one another.

Just the other day, I bumped into a family friend and the first thing she said when she saw Sharleez with braces on was, “Why so early wear braces? You should wait for all her adult teeth to come in before you put on braces!”

Little did she (and I) know that Sharleez should have done her intervention braces wayyyyyyyyy earlier, in fact. As it is, the latest CT Scan X-Ray shows that we might have started a little too late for a simple early treatment. She might possibly require a minor surgery later on to correct the permanent canine and get it into the correct position.

In case you didn’t know, Sharleez started wearing braces when she was only 9.

You can read more about Sharleez’s braces journey so far by clicking on the following links:

Sharleez has been on the braces for about half a year, and we have noted the following changes:

1. Looks
2. Alignment of teeth
3, Wider smile
4. Confidence

Look at her now! Awwwwww.

Oh yes, my girl now feels weird if she doesn’t show her teeth when smiling. Just about a year ago, she felt weird when she smiled showing her teeth.

Enough of Sharleez for now. I am going to leave her alone for a while since we are all very happy with the progress of her teeth this far.

Let’s move on to her twin sisters, Mysha and Myreen.

Just like Sharleez, my twins also have crowded teeth issues. As a result, my twins are still very conscious about their smile and showing their teeth.

Whenever I take a picture of them nowadays, it will only be Sharleez showing her teeth.

No way will I let that happen and affect my twins’ confidence! When the confidence is not there, it will restrict them from moving forward and explore their many talents in life, I feel. I actually spent my childhood being so conscious about my smile and only decided to do something about it when I was in my thirties! Using Invisalign aligners now and never felt better!

I learnt a lesson when Dr Ooi from DePacific Dental Balestier told me that I had sent Sharleez a bit too late for her dental treatment. Hence, I made the decision to send Mysha and Myreen in for evaluation and to get their crowded teeth issues fixed!

I want my twins to have that perfect smile too!

Being a parent is all about practising partiality, you know? 🙂

So they did their X-Ray and CT Scan, for a start.

Mysha and Myreen, both have a constricted upper and lower arch resulting in crowded teeth and also cross bites, which could possibly cause early wear of their permanent teeth.

GASPS!

Based on the X-rays that were taken, both Mysha and Myreen had their permanent canines growing in a non ideal position. That said, early treatment would have been beneficial in hopefully allowing their permanent teeth to erupt nicely.

So what’s next?

Dr Ooi explained that early treatment for Mysha and Myreen will involve removing the baby teeth to allow the permanent canine to erupt in a nice position.

Mysha already had her upper two baby canines extracted first the other time. Now, this girl of mine is a scaredy cat. She was so nervous prior to the extraction and hesitated going for the extraction! Sharleez was assuring her all the way that she would not feel any pain at all!

Sharleez even asked her this,“If mine was painful, why didn’t I cry when the dentist extracted my teeth?”

But she was not convinced entirely, I could tell. She was exceptionally quiet throughout our drive to the dentist.

Dr Ooi (being the expert that he already is), sensed that Mysha was scared.
The first thing he asked was, “Who is your favourite singer? I can play the songs for you via Spotify!”

Of course Mysha chose Charlie Puth! HAHA.

With Charlie Puth singing in the background, Dr Ooi kept talking to Mysha throughout the procedure to make it seem like she was not going through a procedure even!

“If you feel any pain, just lift up your hand and I will stop right away,” he assured her.

And to make things even sweeter, Myreen was holding Mysha’s hand throughout and she kept whispering to Mysha “It’s okay, Mysha.”

Twins and the wonders they do to each other.

As usual, Dr Ooi really took his time to make sure that his patient was comfortable and at ease. I like how he always does not rush just to get things done fast. When kids are involved, extra attention needs to be given to them – and that’s what Dr Ooi is good at!

So he numbed Mysha by firstly using a numbing gel to numb the tissues that the local anaesthesia would be placed.

Once Mysha could not feel anything at all, Dr Ooi proceeded with the extractions.

Within minutes, both baby canines were extracted!

Mysha was so relieved and proud that she requested to bring home her extracted baby canines.

HAHAHA SO CUTE!

She placed the extracted teeth under the pillow and demanded that the Tooth Fairy come to give her $2. The Tooth Fairy has yet to do so till today. Oops! Sorry Mysha, Tooth Fairy has been too busy of late. I will remind her again.

Right after we left the clinic, Mysha exclaimed proudly

“It was not painful even. Myreen, don’t worry. It won’t be painful for you also.”

Wah! Someone is a pro already!

Mysha was instructed to not eat anything for about two hours or so. And once the numbness went away, I thought she would need some painkillers to help her cope with the pain. But she told me that she did not require any.

BRAVO MYSHA!

Weeks later, Mysha had the bottom two baby canines extracted next!

Since she already knew what to expect, she was more composed this time round.

Extraction process took even faster this time, and she was done before I could even take a proper video of it! HAHA.

Once again, well done Mysha! And that reminds me – 4 teeth extracted but the Tooth Fairy is still missing in action. She owes Mysha $4! LOL.

And thank you Dr Ooi for always NOT making their trips to the dentist so dreadful!

Just look at what Sharleez had to say about Dr Ooi. So sweeettt!

Meanwhile, if you are intending to sign up your child for an early intervention treatment with De Pacific Dental, you may call them directly or schedule an appointment today!

Do not forget to mention MYSHA or ETRANGLE because a pleasant surprise awaits you! Can’t say it here. Call them and you will know!

If your child lacks confidence and does not want to talk or smile that much due to his or her teeth, please do something about it fast! The earlier you act, the less painful it will be for the child. More about that in my upcoming posts.

Do give DePacific Dental a call now to find out more about the surprise that awaits you!

You should also follow Dr Ooi in Facebook and IG! I simply love all his dental related posts!

I never knew I could love this much until I gave birth to my kids – all four of them.

When I grew up in the 80’s, children wandering in the neighbourhood on their own without parental supervision were a common sight. I then thought to myself, “Why aren’t their parents with them? What if something happens to them?” Even though I was still a kid back then, I knew that a parent’s job is to protect his/her kids. I guess my mum has brought me with so much love and hence I know I must reciprocate when my turn comes to be a mother myself.

Being a mother means I need to alwaysbe ready to take care of my kids emotionally, physically and financially.

I work from home and hence; I am there with and for my kids almost 24/7. And that also means that I am always updated with even the slightest change in any of my kids. For instance, I will detect it first when any of them is about to have fever. Mother’s instinct, you think? Super power, I think. But what’s the bigger picture here?

They may have just the normal fever now, and that’s fine. Nothing much to worry about. Medications are still affordable. But what if something even worse were to happen to them in the near future? What if the medical expenses or hospitalisation bill cost a lot more than I could ever afford? Will I be prepared financially?

I feel like it is my responsibility if anything bad were to happen to them – I am taking every extra step possible to ensure that I am not overprotecting my kids at the same time. When parents overprotect, that will create more problems for their kids in the long run. But I will save parental overprotection for another post.

Even though I am always with and for the kids, I can never quite prepare myself enough for my kids.

But I can certainly protect them for the future.

Having children also means that we already have the basic instinct of parents to protect them.

Our children are completely dependent on us for all their needs.

Of course, before we can attend to our children’s needs, we need to protect ourselves first, financially. In this way, if anything bad to happen to us, there is always something that we leave behind for our kids – financial safety net.

Financial safety net is meant to protect us AND OUR FAMILY from losing our financial security should an unexpected event like a catastrophic illness or personal tragedy happen to us.

Before anything, start with a rainy day fund.

Rainy day fund is so crucial yet so hard for many to attain and maintain, especially due to the high cost of living here in Singapore.

The objective of a rainy day fund is mainly to be easily accessible in times of emergency. Without rainy day fund, many will resort to taking loans from the bank with high interest rates. That may help us in the short run but will add burden to us financially never in the long run. Something for us to think about.

Did you know that an average working Singaporean would require at least $626,000 to meet their Protection needs?

WOAHH.

Health care costs have also increased over the years, and hence we need to be adequately covered against life uncertainties.

How can we possibly achieve that?

(1) TM Term Assure: Covers mainly working adults and parents

Basic and affordable term plan that provides significant lump sum payout upon death, terminal illness and total permanent disability

For someone aged between 25 to 35 years, it is as little as less than S$1 a day for a 5-year TM Term Assure plan with coverage of S$500,000.

It’s saddening to see how people fall victim to dengue fever unexpectedly.

If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone of us including our loved ones.

Dengue fever can lead to death. Even if it doesn’t, one does not have it easy when he or she contracts dengue fever. Do read up on my first blog post on Dengue Fever by clicking HERE if you have missed it.

It’s also worrying to know that dengue cases have increased from 11,298 in 2015 to more than 13,000 in 2016 and two-third of the cases occur between the ages 15-45 years old in Singapore. This means, I’m one of the potential candidates for dengue! Dengue can be contracted up to 4 times as the 4 sero-types of dengue (DENV-1 to 4) co-circulate in Singapore all year round.

I often imagine how it would be like if any of my loved ones, including myself, were to get dengue fever. With four kids in tow and a baby to handle, dengue fever could actually cause havoc to my daily routine with my family. I don’t think I’d be able to cope – it would be an extremely tiring process. And when that happens, that would also mean that my husband would need to take time off from work to help me with the kids.

Just imagine the many things you would not able to do as a family and for your family if you were to get dengue fever!

Who would take care of the kids?

Who would settle their meals?

Who would help the kids with their school work?

Family time means everything to me. Nobody can and should take that away from us.

With just a few simple changes to your everyday life, you can help protect your family and yourself from dengue.

How so?

Step 1: Follow the 5-step mozzie wipeout

Turn over all water storage containers.

Change water in vases / bowls on alternate days.

Remove water from flower pot plates on alternate days.

Loosen soil from potted plants

Clear blockages and put Bti insecticides in roof gutters monthly.

Step 2: Protect yourselves from applying insect repellent

Dengue fever is passed on to humans through the bites of an infected female Aedesaegypti mosquito, which mainly acquires the virus while feeding on the blood of an infected person.

We can avoid being bitten by applying insect repellant regularly.

Dengue cannot be stopped or controlled if it’s only you taking action for your family and yourself.

Let’s all play our part in preventing dengue so that it does not disrupt our lives. Share your dengue story or how would your lives get disrupted if you get dengue using the hashtag #BeAWallAgainstDengue

STOP THE VIRUS. STOP DENGUE.

Share me your dengue fever experience by clicking HERE! The best comment will receive a little token of appreciation!

My previous sofa was a fabric sofa and we were pretty okay with it except for the size that it occupied, and the fact that it was pretty challenging to maintain.

The initial colour of my previous sofa was cream.

And then I changed it to black.

Didn’t help that much.

See, maintenance was pretty challenging as it absorbed odours easily. Now, my mum does a lot of cooking on a daily basis – not a good idea to have fabric sofa! My sofa often ended up smelling like the dishes my mum cooked. HAHA.

So I thought I should opt for a leather sofa instead for the following reasons as well:

Leather is a very durable material and can last long – for parents with kids who like to jump and do stunts on the sofa (lol), leather sofa is indeed the solution!

Spills and dirt can easily be wiped off – this one will really help me since I have kids who are so clumsy and keep spilling everything they eat!

Leather is easier to clean and maintain – just use a damp cloth

Sofa will look better as it becomes worn down with age.

I came across Choice Furniture, and decided to visit their showroom to have a look at their collection.

Their showroom is HUGE!

LIKE, VERY HUGE!

And if what you want is not there, you can refer to their catalogue to view even more of their collection! (That was what I did, actually!)

Look at the prices Choice Furniture offers. I am sure you will agree that they do not overcharge and everything is reasonably priced.

With the rising cost of living in Singapore, every homeowner will definitely not want to spend beyond his or her budget without compromising on the quality of the furniture.

Buying furniture has always been a perilous and complex affair.

Choosing the right furniture store is just as important as choosing the correct furniture for our home. Falling in love with the look of the furniture, without considering its construction and durability is one of the biggest pitfalls customers often encounter.

As customers, we need to be satisfied with our purchase(s). But sometimes, we do not know about the products that much and that’s when the sales person’s genuine and honest recommendations will really come in handy. Some furniture stores will just totally ignore our concerns and complains the moment they deliver the furniture to us. Many times, I have seen customers complaining because what they received was not the same as what they ordered or what was promised to them.

There were also occasions where the furniture vendor became so hostile just because customers noticed defects in the product, and wanted an exchange.

Dan from Choice Furniture was so accommodating to all my needs right from the start, and he delivered what he promised promptly.

Most importantly, I like how patient and polite he was throughout.

Needless to say, his customer service was tip top.

So based on my budget, needs and lifestyle, Dan recommended several sofas before I decided on THE SOFA.

HOW DOES ONE EVEN DECIDE ON THE IDEAL SOFA, ANYWAY?

Let me help you!

Here are some tips on choosing the correct sofa:

Size matters: If you have a bigger living room, how much of the living space do you want your sofa to occupy? Do also consider your walking space.

Orientation: Decide how and where the sofa will be placed. Start by analyzing your lifestyle. Do you watch TV? What do you do most in that space? Do you like to sit in front of the TV? Or do you use the living room simply to relax and read?

Sofa shape: Decide which shape will best suit your living room. L-shaped sofas are usually great for separating the living room from the dining room. A rounder shaped sofa is better for a smaller space.

Material: Which one is best for you? I have mentioned earlier on the reason for my switch of sofa fabric from fabric to leather.

Style: Choose a sofa that complements your home. Do not have a modern theme furnishing and then go for a vintage couch. Like errrr?

Colour: Choose a colour that will suit your lifestyle most importantly.

Thank you Choice Furniture for making my living room now so much easier to maintain.

We are pleased with the choice, indeed.

Now now, of course my readers will also get the furniture of their choice plus the special treatment.

Enjoy 10% all products when you shop online at www.choicefurniture.com.sgAll you need to do is to type ‘DIAH10’on the check out page.

If you prefer to walk-in to their showroom instead, just mention my name Diah to enjoy the 10% off too! Oh I have to mention that you can just park right opposite their showroom! Ample parking space, guys!

Is there someone you know but you will avoid at all costs because he/she is toxic?

Tell me about it.

I have decided to reveal who that someone is in this post, together with an accompanying photo as well. Sometimes, you just need to give them maximum exposure so that others will be wary of them. I am sorry, I am only human.

I cannot tolerate such PESTS in my life.

For a start, the pest I am referring to is forever in black and white stripes.

Okay let’s just reveal who she is.

IT

IS

MISS

AEDES

MOSQUITO

HAHA! Got you there!

You were really expecting me to mention a real person right? I know how much you love controversies but nah, let’s save them for a later post.

Time to get serious now because dengue fever can be life-threatening if it takes a turn for the worse. For sure, it is not just a matter of having a fever and taking panadol to feel better.

For starters, dengue fever is an illness caused by infection with a virus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito.

Just so that you know, only the female Aedes mosquito bites as it needs the protein in blood to develop its eggs.

Dengue fever is something that is pretty unfamiliar to my family and me, we have never had anyone in the family contract it before. And I hope it will remain that way.

Having a normal fever is already torturous, but why would we want to have dengue fever?

Dengue is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease in the world, did you know?

WHAT IS IT REALLY LIKE TO HAVE DENGUE FEVER?

I had an online discussion recently with several of my Facebook friends and acquaintances, and thought that I should share several of these friends’ experience with dengue. I do not think we should be complacent and think that we will never get dengue fever.

Time to educate ourselves to prevent dengue fever, or know what to do if we were to ever contract it.

The first one is from Zalina.

“I’m not the kind who easily fall sick and even when i do, panadol would normally do the trick. But i can remember the fateful night very well. My son was only 4 months old back then. I was at work and i was shivering like mad. I had a sudden headache out of nowhere. My eyes was scorching hot and my eyes were stingy and very painful. Took my temperature- 39.2! Not funny at all. I don’t care if I was having a fever – my concern was my young son. I didn’t want anything happening to him. I took panadol as usual. At the meantime, i texted my mum of how i felt and she willingly took over my son so that i could be away from him for a while. I was crying like mad coz i had to stay away from my very young son. I went home and slept in a room away from my husband. I did not want any virus to be around him or our bedroom as well. So i drank as much water as i could. And guess what? Four hours later, my fever shot up to 40! I was feeling so lethargic. So nauseous and giddy. The panadol did not seem to work. I was starting to panic and began to breakdown.. Am I dying? Why is my fever not going down? Will i get to see my son ever again..? I remember crying endlessly to my husband as I was so worried about my son. Every 4 hours i took panadol and drank lotsa water but the fever just would not go down. The next day, i developed rashes on my hands. I almost fainted. I went to the hospital immediately and they took my blood test… And after a few hours, it was confirmed I was dengue-positive. I was shocked. Dengue? Me? How and where? So many questions were running through my mind… The doctors said they had to report my case to the NEA and not long after NEA came down to my house to check on the environment to see if the environment in my house contributed to me getting dengue – like having stagnant water etc. The whole process was extremely painful. I had to go to the polyclinic every few days to check my blood. I always thought it would never happen to me. It was not just a fever. It was extremely painful and drained me out. The doctor gave me meds. My brother’s friend suggested I drink papaya leave juice extract. Not the diluted kind but those which you have to prepare from scratch. So the whole family had to literally search for the leaves. I tried it and till now I do not know if that helped in my recovery process but i just wanted to recover fast at that point of time. My baby needed me. It is so important to keep yourself away from dengue. Check your house and make sure there’s no stagnant water. Use the repellent. Yes it is a bit tedious but it can help to save the trouble and most importantly your life!”

The second story is from Sha.

“I had high fever for 1 week and body was aching to the max especially on my lower back. I was referred to Communicable Disease Centre and warded there for observation for 4 days. I felt like I was in a prison there. And I was discharged, I had to go back CDC to repeat blood test everyday to make sure the blood counts were back to normal.

The above picture was taken at the CDC where Sha was warded when she had dengue fever.

And the last story is from El.

“It started with normal fever. Difference is its duration. Dengue fever will last for more than 3 or 4 days. It really kills your appetite. So, key is to keep yourself hydrated with water and force feed yourself as much as possible. I felt nauseous all the time. Nausea was due to my low blood count. My bones felt like they were breaking and I had rashes breakout. The rashes were not itchy but painful when touched. Fever for the first few days was hot subsequently after 3,4days, the readings were high but I did not feel hot at all. For me it lasted near 2 weeks but the after-effect recovery lingered for a month. I thought I was not too bad as compared to my brother who got it around the same time as me. My brother was weaker and he could eat any thing at all. He had to force himself to eat fruits. I had to take blood test every day as they needed to track my blood readings. I had to maintain a certain level because anything below that reading would require me to go to the hospital for blood transfusion. I was so nauseous and weak.”

This is how the rashes will look like when one contracts dengue fever.

As mentioned in all the personal recounts above, the recovery process from dengue fever is a distressing period. The patient experiences a huge amount of discomfort and pain. May I add the fact that dengue fever will result in out-of-pocket expenditures, as well as absenteeism from work and disruption to daily routines.

Do take note also that when one is re-infected with dengue, he/she is likely to develop more extreme symptoms.

What about you?

Do you have a dengue story which you would like to share with me and everyone else on Facebook?

Why not you join #MyDengueStory contest in my Facebook post about it by sharing your dengue fever experience? You can click HERE to be directed to my Facebook.

Do not forget to use the hashtag #MyDengueStory when you share your dengue story.

Special thanks to my friends and acquaintances for sharing with me their experiences with dengue fever.

I have been sending my girls to enrichment classes ever since they were three! Of course, the younger they are, the easier it is to tame our kids and to sculpt them the way we want them to be.

But our kids, like plants, will only grow well if all the conditions for growth are met. It is really not so much about the technique.

More often than not, parents like myself will get overly concerned about the kids’ studies and behaviour. The moment we think they need help on a particular subject, we will start panicking and look around for tuition classes.

WHY?

We want them to do well in school, that’s why!

So when I heard of this Secrets to Exam Success Seminar , I was intrigued to attend it and find out for myself whether it would be of any use to my kids, and my husband and me as parents.

FREE ADMISSION, SOME MORE!

Besides, it would be a good way to spend our weekend together – by attending a workshop as a family!

Time to get the husband more involved! LOL

CAN YOU SPOT TATEK? HAHAHAHA.

Parents, why are we only thinking on the surface most of the time? Why do we focus so much on how to change our kids’ behaviour?

Isn’t true growth actually more about the maturation of their emotional system and how they can bring themselves to express their inner world into language? As we all know it, the bigger our kids get, the bigger their emotions will get and the tougher it will be for us to reach out to them.

Suria Mohd who is no stranger really, if you ask me, conducted the workshop.

WHO IS SURIA MOHD?

Suria’s biography is quite lengthy since she has done so much for the past few years!

Let me break it down for you.

She was a former school teacher and had taught in both elite and neighbourhood schools.

She is a mother of 2 kids.

She is a 3X Amazon best selling author

She is a celebrity nutritionist and have appeared in various TV programs, local newspapers and even on the cover of magazines. (Not a surprise since she is quite a stunner! HEHE).

She is a motivator, trainer and public educator, and gives regular talks at HPB’s events and forums.

She provides Positive Parenting seminars and workshops

She provides business coaching for start ups

And the list can pretty much go on and on and on.

INDEED A SUPERWOMAN.

Is Suria Mohd qualified to give talks then?

Let me see:

She received her Nutrition degree from Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia and completed an exchange program with Illinois State University, USA.

Suria attained a Postgraduate degree in the teaching of Food Science and Nutrition Studies from NTU/NIE Singapore

She taught Nutrition in secondary schools

I BELIEVE SHE IS MORE THAN QUALIFIED.

The workshop was truly inspirational, and it made all of us cry like babies at the end of it.

I am not kidding you.

Read on.

So what was the workshop about?

Suria Mohd covered the following:

Five top secrets and shocking truths why smart students fail or underachieve in school

Steps to help our child overcome low self-esteem

Twelve MUST HAVE power techniques to help improve our child’s grades

Six different ways our child can tap into his/her brain’s full genius potential

Top brain booster foods for exam smart brains.

How to make our child more motivated, confident and eager to study

One Skill that can help our child do well

NAH. A LITTLE PREVIEW FOR YOU.

Suria Mohd even shared with us some really awesome apps which we can download for our kids to play!

One good way to unleash their genius potential is via the apps which Suria Mohd recommended to us parents during the workshop.

WHAT APPS?

You go attend the workshop lah to find out.

I AM NOT TELLING!!

Come on, to tell our kids that they are not allowed to play with their phones or ipads is a bit ridiculous because almost everything involves technology these days. That said, our kids need to be IT SAVVY! It’s definitely an essential skill!

But of course, we need to constantly monitor what they are watching or playing online so that they do not get lost in their own world.

Listening to Suria Mohd made me guilty for always focusing on how to improve my kids’ grades rather than how to help them help themselves.

But what choice do we really have, especially if we are living in Singapore?

As parents, we only want to bring out the best in our kids.

And as such, we are always so ready to spend lots of money on private tuitions despite seeing no or little improvements.

Imagine this.

We spend $200 per child on tuition.

In a year, that’s about $2400

In 6 years (primary school), that’s $14,400

In 10 years (primary plus secondary school), that’s $24,000

And that’s only one child!

Imagine if we have more than one child!

I HAVE FOUR KIDS LEYYYYYYYY!

THAT’S A SUPER HUGE INVESTMENT WITH RESULTS HARDLY GUARANTEED!

It’s not just about having a high IQ.

EQ is just as important, if not more important.

Have we ever thought about this?

Kids with high EQs (also known as emotional intelligence) are known to be overall better performers in school than those with only high IQs

And that’s what Suria Mohd stressed on during the 2 hours workshop.

When our kids are equipped to handle high-pressure situations like exams better than their counterparts, they will perform better.

It’s a no brainer, really.

And don’t we want our kids to continue to have good relationships with us?

Suria Mohd tapped into a place deep inside ourselves, and we ended up in buckets of tears by the end of the workshop. I cried. My girls cried. I suspected my husband cried too. (Men and their ego!)

It was so impactful, really. Crying in a way, is a survival mechanism – most of the time, it is a signal that we need to address something. And that was what happened during the workshop – Suria Mohd made us realise how much we love each other and how we have often let daily routines and the stress of life affect our relationship.

I shall not divulge too much because you need to attend the workshop with your kids in order to find out for yourself.

You will cry too, but you will definitely feel so good after that, trust me!

Suria Mohd will also be conducting other workshops during the March holidays, so take a look and try to attend them with your kids! Trust me, she is really good!

THANK YOU SURIA FOR MAKING US CRY! HAHAHAHAHAH.

The next workshop will be on:

Sunday 19 February 2017(that’s tomorrow! you still have time to sign up!)

Sunday, 26 February 2017

If you have kids who will be sitting for the big exams like PSLE, must go for this one! Trust me, it’s really something!

When I was first introduced to JAMUlicious, I actually dreaded tasting it because of the word JAMU in it.

Like, I really dreaded!

This is me just staring at it and thinking whether to drink it or not. #nodrama

I remember asking the client for assurance about the taste before really tasting it. I even told my helper to taste it first! I have never eaten jamu all my life but I know for a fact that jamu has never tasted nice.

For starters, jamu is a herbal medicine made from natural materials such as plants, roots, flowers, seeds, barks, and more. The main ingredients are turmeric and tamarind.

I realized that JAMUlicious also has LICIOUS in it, which I believe stands for delicious? Or yummylicious?

The client told me to refrigerate it first before drinking it.

Now of course you should skip this part if you have asthma or you are undergoing confinement.

I refrigerated it, shook the bottle, poured a glass of it….

AND FINALLY TASTED IT!

IT IS SURPRISINGLY NICE!

It tastes like Asam Boi Drink actually.

I AM NOT KIDDING YOU!

Yes guys, JAMUlicious is a very tasty herbal drink.

So why drink JAMULICIOUS?

Better blood flow

Helps with weight loss

Reduces pimples

Reduces Sinus

Anti Cancer

Expels wind from body

Reduces menses cramp

Reduces whitening discharge

Gives Energy

Reduces Body Odour

Acts as an Anticeptic

Removes odour from menses

Slows down Aging

Helps reduce blood pressure

JAMUlicious is to be consumed 2 days once, right before bedtime. It is suitable for both men and women.

And in case you are wondering, yes, JAMUlicious has HSA Clearance!

Price: $10.50

Weight: 500ml

You can purchase it from Toko Indo by Alhinduan Trading #01-38/39 which is located at East Village Mall.

And strictly for my readers and followers only, enter or quote ETRANGLE when you order to enjoy 20% off your orders!

Yah Yah Yah Online is a home-based business set up by Liyanah Md Ali, a SAHM who is dedicated to massaging and distribution of high quality health products such as Pomegranate Concentrate and JAMUlicious Herbal Drink (Home Made).

Yes, she provides whole body traditional javanese massage for ladies too at just $50 for 1.5 hours! If you are staying near Teban Gardens or do not mind travelling to Teban Gardens, you might want to try out her massage!

Do you remember secretly hiding food you could not finish until your parents were out of sight before throwing it?

I WAS GUILTY OF IT.

I would take a tissue, put the food I could not finish inside the tissue and throw it secretly. My childhood basically consisted of me not being able to finish my food before worrying about being scolded by my dad.

AND I THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT.

Actually, if you were to really think about it, it’s sad how we often waste food on a daily basis. Most of the time, we will just throw whatever food that we or our kids cannot finish because they will go bad anyway.

But did you know that in 2015 alone, SG generated 786 million kg of food waste – that’s two bowls of food waste generated by each person, EACH DAY!

Okay, some of you may be asking, “SO WHAT?”

See, at this rate of producing waste, SG will need a new incineration plant every 7-10 years, and a new landfill every 30 – 35 years.

Are you still asking me “SO WHAT?”

Grrrr.

Singapore is just a tiny red dot. You understand what that means, don’t you? Yes, we live in a super duper small country with limited space for EVERYTHING. As it is, we only have one landfill which may run out of space sooner than expected if our food wastage habits do not or cannot change.

GASPS.

It’s very worrying, guys.

Very, very, worrying.

Something for all of us to think about.

My experiences at home have led me to believe that kids like to waste food – their eyes are bigger than their stomachs most of the time! Their appetite change too easily – one day they can gobble up a glass of milk and ask for some more, the next day they can be so picky and get full too quickly.

Believe me, my girls are small eaters with super big eyes on some days. They simply cannot resist the urge to take more than what they can eat, especially right after school.

And when they cannot finish their food, the following excuses will be audible:

“I have a stomachache.”

(They will proceed to eat something else instead.)

“I think there’s something wrong with the food. It tastes funny.”

(Sometimes they speak the truth. Sometimes there’s really nothing wrong with the food)

“Mummy, can I eat this again later?”

(They will never eat it again later)

“Mummy, do you want some more? You can have mine!”

(Nadyas applying the concept of sharing here)

SMART THINKING NADYAS!

But I’m smarter because I was like you girls too. LOL

So what I do with them nowadays is to tell them to take HALF THE AMOUNT of what they think they can finish.

“Huh? So little ah Mummy? Like baby eating like that!”

My reply?

“EAT LIKE A BABY FIRST, THEN TAKE SOME MORE IF YOU FINISH THE FIRST SERVING.”

The food will always taste nicer when you have less of it on the plate.

And true enough, someone finished her food and asked for a second serving!

Meanwhile, the small eater like Mysha managed to finish her food.

Tip: Always get them to eat first, and drink later. The more water they drink during mealtimes, the faster it is for them to be full.

My husband especially is very particular about the girls not finishing their food because he is not the sort to waste food. And nobody likes it when the husband starts to nag. LOL.

But of course I understand where the husband is coming from. If we don’t teach our kids from young about preventing or reducing food wastage, then it will just become another habit of theirs till they grow old.

Teach kids the value of food and the importance of not wasting resources.

Sometimes, our kids go to the supermarket and want things that they don’t need but they just feel like eating… because mummy or daddy will buy them anything! Obviously they have a hard time understanding the amount of work and resources that go into putting food on their table and so they take things for granted as a result. Thus it’s important to start teaching the kids from a young age the resources that go into producing food, so they will learn to respect the value of food. Implementing rules so that they use a bit of their allowance to pay for their food (giving them some practical motivation) also helps make them realize the cost of wasting money and food.

The more we get our kids involved, the more they may be likely to eat their meals instead of arguing about disliking something, and therefore not wanting to eat it.

I also did my readings to find out how we can prevent or reduce food wastage as a family because hey, doing so can actually help households save money as well!

Shop smart.

Make sure we do not buy too much food, especially when we are doing grocery shopping. Making a detailed shopping list of what we really need at home is often what I do, and that helps us from impulsive buys. Whenever it’s a trip to the supermarket, the shopping list will always accompany me so that I will know exactly what to buy and not what I feel like buying.

My girls have pretty understood the concept of grocery shopping. When we run out of something at home, they will tell me to include it in the shopping list for our next supermarket trip. I am glad to say that our shopping list thus far contains needs rather than wants.

When preparing food for the family, do not overcook or over serve food.

It’s pretty hard to gauge how much is enough for the family especially when you are not really an expert in cooking (like me!). But I think we all learn through trial and error.

Using small plates can help to ensure that we do not over serve food! Start with less food on your plate. If you want more, you can always have more.

Save and actually eat the leftovers.

On days when there’s too much food cooked or prepared, save it in air tight containers, and date the leftovers so that we will know how long they have been in the fridge.

You can also have a cookoff with your kids repurposing leftover ingredients into new meals.

My mother will usually use the leftovers to prepare a totally new dish altogether. For instance, whenever we have leftovers from our steamboat or bbq session the night before, she will use the leftover meat to fry noodles for the entire family for breakfast the next day.

Store food in the right places.

If we are throwing out food that has gone bad constantly, most likely it is because you are not storing them correctly. Yup, we often store food at the wrong places with the wrong temperature. Fruits and vegetables for instance, can last longer if we store them correctly.

I really like the infographics below about where to store your fruits and vegetables.

Wow! I did not know that:

Bananas have to be kept away from the other fruits and vegetables because they will result in most fruits or vegetables ripening too quickly and turning bad

I have actually been storing certain fruits like pears, lemons and avocados wrongly ALL MY LIFE!

The mentality used to be “Put it in the fridge if I want the food to last longer!”

Monitor what you throw away so that you will be mindful of what to buy less during your next grocery shopping.

For instance, I used to buy the extra big loaf of bread instead of the normal sized ones so that I did not have to keep buying when we ran out of bread at home. But I noticed that half a loaf of the bread would not be eaten and by then, it was already past the expiry date.

So it’s just the normal sized bread for us these days.

Tempt our kids!

It’s always good to work towards something when you have an end in mind. In the case of my kids, it’s always treats like…BUBBLE TEA or GUMMIES! Since I do not allow them to drink bubble tea and snack on sweets all the time, to be rewarded with such treats is a big deal to them! Not all the time though. This really works like magic especially when you want them to finish their meals.

Planning your meals to prepare just enough food, and storing food properly can help your household waste less food and save more money.

Even though you may need to make some little changes in your routine to reduce the amount of food you’re wasting as a household, with a little commitment and focus, the suggestions above are very achievable, I reckon.

Less food wastage gives you a Clean and Green Singapore too! Want more tips on reducing food wastage at home? Download the Food Waste Reduction handy guide from www.cgs.sg

And of course, I know who will be the happiest after reading this post.

My girls have this craze for unique looking bags that they can bring to school or for their outings with us. So they are always on the lookout for bags to add on to their current collection.

What can I say – girls will be girls!

The latest one that Sharleez got is this randoseru bag from Atsuta online

KAWAIIIIIIII!

She even brings the back to school!

For beginners, a randoseru bag is a firm-sided and fashionable backpack made of stitched firm leather material, most commonly used in Japan by elementary school children. They are usually given to the kids when they begin their first year of school. The bag will be used all the way until they reach grade 6!

What am I trying to say?

A randoseru bag is built to last because kids carry the same bag for six years! So cost saving.

This bag even withstands any weather conditions like rain and snow. This makes it very practical actually, since bigger children commute to school.

I like how the backpack has a sturdy back so that in case of falling, it will protect the child’s spine from injury.

In a nutshell, the bag is:

Fashionable

Comfortable

Durable

User friendly

Handy

Unique Interior

And on days when Sharleez is not using the bag, I can use it just like those adults in English. LOL.

Besides this design, Atsuta online also carries other designs like the following!

And check out the details of the bag!

Definitely a good choice, Sharleez! I approve!

And now that the twins have seen for themselves how cool and chic Sharleez looks with the bag, they too want one Barandoseru each!

To purchase the randoseru bag for yourself or your kid, you can click HERE

Hi ladies everyone! It’s me, Shakeel, taking over Mummy’s blog for a while first now…then permanently in future. But don’t tell her I told you that!

But first, Mummy needs to change her blog’s picture.

I mean,

I AM NOT IN THE PICTURE, HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO???????

Way overdue, Mummy. What have you been so busy with until you have no time to revamp your blog? Sheesh!

So what should I talk about?

Ah, I should mention the woes of a breastfed baby who is sometimes forced to drink milk from the bottle due to some unforeseen circumstances. Life sucks. It’s tough being a baby so what makes you adults think that only you have the biggest problems in the world? Babies like us have only one problem and it’s often milk problem. But hey, that’s big enough a problem!

Mummy does train me to drink from the bottle. She keeps telling me that drinking from the bottle is pretty much the same as drinking from her mammillas. I am sure. I feel like asking her whether drinking latte Starbucks is the same as drinking latte from McDees.

The answer is, “NO! IT’S NOT THE SAME!”

Whenever she asks me to drink from the bottle, it’s always the same ol’ process.

STEP 1:

I will hold the bottle like I am so eager to drink.

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STEP 2:

I will throw the bottle to the side or sometimes on the floor because ewww the milk does not taste as good from the bottle AND I am not good at pretending.

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STEP 3

I will get thirsty after some time and decide to drink from the bottle when Mummy refuses to give me her mammillas. And yeah, I will even finish the milk. Pretty embarrassing. I must say.

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Don’t believe me because it’s too good to be true? Watch this video then!

STEP 4:

I will pat the bottle to eternal sleep and wish never to see it again.

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Wishful thinking on my part, of course.

Yeah that’s pretty much what Mummy and I have to go through each time drinking milk from the bottle is involved.

Since there are too many baby products in the market and I’m always spoilt for choice, I have decided to do reviews for them!

To kickstart my review for baby products will be the new…

Bonbijou LUXOS Stroller.

This stroller will be launched anytime this month! Yes, December 2016!

To begin with, the exterior and colour of the stroller is already a winner. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. I mean, come on, how can you possibly go wrong with a grey and brown leather combination?

If you ask me, the cloud combination makes the stroller look really classy and expensive.

But read on and be pleasantly surprised when I finally reveal to you the retail price of this gorgeous stroller.

Features of the Bonbijou LUXOS Stroller:

Suitable for use from birth up to a maximum weight of 25 kg

Multiple recline seats positions

Additional padded cushion seat provide comfort for your child

Open or Fold the stroller with only ONE hand, this leave your other hand to carry your little love one

Extra spacious seat gives baby a lot of kicking space and lets them stretch out for comfort anytime

Ultra light weight: easy to handle even taking public transport

Handle reversible, enable mummy to view the baby even while strolling

Full canopy to prevent child from direct sunlight

Extra hood windows provides ventilation even though baby is fully covered by the canopy

The Bonbjiou LUXOS Stroller is definitely a fuss-free stroller that is comfortable, stylish and most importantly, affordable! And because it is so easy and convenient to use this stroller, I let my girls bring their little brother for a stroll downstairs anytime they wish to.

And now, the retail price.

Are you ready?

It will be retailing at…

SGD499 ONLY!

LIKE OH MY GOD, ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Really reasonable and affordable for a stroller, don’t you think?

So be the first few in Singapore to own the Bonbijou LUXOS Stroller!

For updates on the exact launch date and where to purchase it, follow BONBIJOU in Facebook by clicking HERE HERE HERE!

So now that Sharleez is finally on braces, all the what ifs and fears are gone.

In fact, I was actually worried for her when she first put on the braces. I thought she would not be able to tolerate the pain or discomfort.

But hey, she is really doing super great so far!

WAIT A SECOND.

SHARLEEZ IS ON BRACES?

But, she is only 9 years old!

Shouldn’t she wait till all the baby teeth fall out?

Shouldn’t she wait for all of the adult teeth to come in?

Shouldn’t she wait till she is at least 12?

Ah okay. If you are asking me the above questions, that means you have missed the first blog post about this. How about you click HERE HERE HERE \to read that blog post? But do not forget to come back for this post once you are done, okay? 😀

Many children and parents delay the process of straightening their teeth due to fear.

What are the different kinds of fear that may arise?

FEAR #1: Fear of pain.

The most common concern that children have when starting to put on braces is that it will be extremely painful. As a parent, you may also share the same fear as your child since obviously, no parent would want to see their child in pain.

In reality, orthodontic treatment does not involve the use of twisting or wrenching their teeth into position.

Newer Orthodontic appliances use gentle, consistent pressure to realign the teeth gradually. Now, this pressure can cause the gums to become tender and ache a little at the start or after each adjustment. However, this discomfort is really temporary and minor.

In most cases, this discomfort can be solved through over the counter medications.

But if you ask me, Sharleez does not even require medications so far because the treatment is bearable.

Want to know why?

Sharleez is using the self-ligating Damon Braces to allow minimal a very gentle force to be applied on the tooth to reduce and discomfort.

But I did my part too and prepared her mentally.

Days Weeks before, she kept asking me, “Mummy, will it be painful? How tight?”

Since I am currently wearing the Invisalign aligners, which is an almost invisible alternative to braces, I told her what it feels like to have aligners on. I also told her how important it is to have an exceptionally good dental hygiene when she is wearing braces.

Sharleez: “Did you cry Mummy when you have the aligners on?”

Me: “Have you ever seen me cry when I put on the aligners? In fact, I am laughing even more than ever!”

Sharleez: “Okay, I can do this! I want a straight teeth!”

FEAR #2: Fear of the Unknown

Most people are afraid of situations where they do not have control or understand what is happening.

A dental clinic can be a very intimidating place for a young child.

Just imagine this.

Your kid is laid out horizontally on a chair with bright lights shining in their face. The doctor then proceeds to use a collection of unfamiliar instruments in their mouth.

SCARY RIGHT?

Well, it can even be an intimidating place for adults! I remember fearing my every visit to the dentist when I was still in primary school. I remember still fearing my visit to the dentist even after I reached adulthood.

But here’s the thing – my kids look forward to their every visit to De Pacific Dental despite them always being very selective of the people they choose to warm up to! They really adore their dentist Dr Ooi Jing Liang because he always takes the effort to create conversations and joke with them. So really, it is not like a visit to the dentist!

At De Pacific Dental, they understand the parents and child’s concerns, hence they take the time to find out the fears that the kids may have.

On the day when Sharleez was supposed to put on her braces, she was very nervous, as expected.

Dr Ooi already anticipated that Sharleez would be pretty nervous on the day of her braces procedure. The moment he saw Sharleez, he first started by asking her about her day and how she was feeling. He did not mention anything about the braces at all initially. Once Sharleez was less tensed, Dr Ooi went on to explain to her what he was going to do and what she should expect to feel.

He then asked her whether she liked Finding Nemo and who her favourite character in the show is.

Right before he started to put the braces on for Sharleez, he played Finding Nemo for Sharleez to watch. It was definitely a good form of distraction as Sharleez was more engrossed with the movie than the procedure that she was undergoing at that time.

In fact, even her little supporters (especially Shan!) were so engrossed with the movie and they totally forgot to cheer her on! Nice. HAHA.

The procedure was pretty painless, with a little bit of discomfort experienced by Sharleez. Dr Ooi was thoughtful enough to keep checking on Sharleez throughout.

FEAR #3: Fear of Embarrassment

Kids and teens often feel especially fearful that they will “look funny” or get made fun of while they are wearing their braces. These types of fears tend to get worse around special occasions such as birthday parties or other gatherings.

Sharleez had the same fear too before she had her braces on. She was like, “Mummy, I don’t want to open my mouth when have my braces on. Later my classmates will notice and make fun of me!”

To that I asked her, “But you look at all those people with bright coloured bands and brackets on their braces. I think they are cool. Don’t you think so too?”

She replied, “Ya actually they are kind of cool. I have seen some really pretty girls with braces.”

WE ARE SETTLED THEN.

Dr Ooi then showed Sharleez the various colours of band that she could choose for her braces. Sharleez looked so excited and was pretty confused as to the colour of the band that she should choose.

She chose baby blue, as expected. Sharleez’s favourite colour is blue, you see?

The braces were fitted to two of Sharleez’ upper front teeth and two of her bottom front teeth.

WHY NOT FIT THE BRACES TO ALL OF HER TEETH?

This is because Sharleez still has some baby teeth left, somewhere at the back. So while waiting for them to drop off and for the adult teeth to fully grow, Dr Ooi will straighten her front teeth first. So the treatment that she is undergoing is called interceptive orthodontics. To recall what I blogged in the earlier post, intervention may begin as early as age 6 or 7. At this age, teeth are still developing. Early intervention takes advantage of the fact that a child’s jaw is still growing. That means certain conditions, such as crowding, may be easier to address.

Types of teeth and bite conditions that may be cause for early interceptive treatment include:

Open bites

Deep bites

Cross bites

Overjets

Crowding (Sharleez’s case)

Spacing

Teeth not emerging in the right sequence

Missing teeth

Congenitally missing teeth

Ankylosed teeth: a condition where the tooth stops erupting and stays in the same place, causing the permanent tooth to be displaced upon emergence

Children who receive interceptive orthodontics generally still need braces or other orthodontic appliances later. However, this early treatment may shorten and simplify future treatment in selected cases. This is commonly known as two-phase treatment.

The moment the braces were placed, Dr Ooi gave Sharleez a mirror and asked her to smile showing her teeth.

I don’t know about you, but I think that anyone with braces is really cute!

Fear of Food Getting Caught in the Teeth

Another common fear regarding orthodontic treatment is that large amounts of unsightly food will get caught in the wires and brackets, leading to embarrassment, bad breath, and even tooth decay. In reality, a person with braces is not more likely to get food stuck in their teeth than someone without them. Misaligned teeth also cause a much greater risk of gum disease.

For a start, drinking plenty of water can help wash away any stray bits of food.

At De Pacific Dental, they also make it a point to educate and teach the children on proper brushing and care of their braces. And Dr Ooi did just that after the braces were fitted!

It’s inevitable that Sharleez will still get some food particles stuck in her braces after every meal.

Hence, the three steps approach for her and anyone with braces to follow:

Make it a habit to head to the bathroom after every meal to clean the teeth. First, start by swishing water vigorously around your mouth then spitting it out. Repeat the process several times.

Next, use a small dental pick or tooth pick to remove small particles that are stuck between the wires and teeth or trapped by a bracket.

Finally, carry a small travel toothbrush to brush after every meal.

And that was it! Sharleez now has braces on and she could not have looked more cuter!

This was her smile and teeth after the first time she had the braces fitted.

This was Sharleez 8 weeks later.

And this is Sharleez now!

So confident already with the different poses!

YAY!!!!!!

We are slowly getting there! Actually, the progress is surprisingly fast.

Every 8 weeks, we will have to make a date with Dr Ooi to make adjustments to her braces by way of wire-changers, adding springs, elastics or other accessories.

If you’re curious whether your child needs early orthodontic treatment like Sharleez, do not hesitate to call up De Pacific Balestier to find out more!

And oh, if you want to know more about Invisalign, you can find out from them toooooo!

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign aligners are nearly invisible so it’s difficult for others to notice

Invisalign aligners are removable. You can remove them before eating/drinking and easily brush and floss to maintain good oral hygiene.eatment

I am wearing Invisalign too in almost all of my photos, can you tell?

Trust me, the people at De Pacific Balestier are a bunch of awesomely nice people! Your kid will enjoy his visits to the dentist once he meets Dr Ooi!

AND ESPECIALLY FOR MY BLOG READERS ONLY…

Let Dr Ooi advise you (with no obligations) on what needs to be done for your teeth before you consider or even decide!

After almost a month of fun and more fun, preparations for a new school year can be overwhelming and intimidating, agree?

How’s it going with the preparations for the new school year, then?

I do not know about you but I always look forward to buying their school books. The next best thing to do will be to label all of their belongings for school.. and wrapping their books too!

Ever since Sharleez entered primary school, I have been using Stuck On You Classic Mini Pencil Labels for her books and belongings their size is so compact and makes them perfect for school books, stationery, calculators, glasses, drink bottles, lunch boxes and more. Yes, you can even use them for lunch boxes because they are microwave safe! And now that Mysha nd Myreen are already in primary school, the tradition is to continue using Stuck On You labels for them as well! Hehe.

My girls were thrilled to receive their very own personalized Duffle Bag from Stuck On You! They have been using the bag for their outings, and they are already planning to use the bags for their school trips and on days when they do not have to bring so many books to school.

What makes it special is the fact that my girls had the opportunity to personalize the bag via Stuck On You website!

I am always on the lookout for interesting books for my kids. It has been a favourite past time of mine ever since I had them.

The Rasa Sayang Sing and Record Fun book is definitely one of them – this book connects culture and modern family.

Read on to find out why.

The Rasa Sayang Sing and Record Fun book is the first book of its kind – featuring 7 familiar Nusantara folk songs like:

Rasa Sayang

Chan Mali Chan

Burung Kakak Tua

Lenggang Kangkung

Bengawan Solo

Gelang Sipaku Gelang

Anak Itik Tok Wi

Each song comes with beautiful illustrations and listen-and-record functions.

Now, didn’t we all grow up listening to these folk songs? No matter how old or where we are, folks songs endure and will never fail to help us get to the good parts of our shared humanness.

I do not know about you but I feel that folk songs have always been the doorway through which our children find their own voices. Through these simple yet mesmerizing songs, children learn to bring themselves to a tune and to sing comfortably with others.

But as we all know it, we are now living in the digital age and we do not listen to folk songs as often as we listen to pop songs.

That said, it was so hard to search for the folk songs with culturally relevant yet high quality materials suitable for both kids and adults… until I came cross the Rasa Sayang book.

Want to know what’s really interesting plus engaging about this book?

It plays the song of your choice at the push of a button

You will find a list of buttons at the right side to correspond to the image of the song you want to listen to.

It records you singing the song too!

It plays back your (beautiful) singing!

It allows you to sing the folksongs in English because all the folksong have been translated in English.

WATCH THIS INSTRUCTION VIDEO AND BE CAPTIVATED!

SUCH AN INGENIUS CREATION, I SAY!

My kids love this book so much!

And every gift set comes with BABA BAA plushie, which plays the Rasa Sayang song the moment you press it!

SOOOOOOO CUTE!

This book is definitely perfect for ages 6 months to 6 years, and can be used to teach, play and share at home and in the classroom!

So parents and teachers, this book, you must have!

No matter how modern we think we are, our culture remains and will never cease. And this is the important message that we would like to put across to our kids despite them growing in a world of technology.

The Rasa Sayang book and giftset can be purchased online www.bababaa.com and major bookstores in Singapore.

Now that I have Shakeel, baby fairs is a must go because they usually have everything I need under one super humongous roof!

I don’t know about you but baby fairs like Baby Baby Exhibition are just so therapeutic.

In any case, time to shop for yourself and your baby this Christmas!

Yes! Baby Baby Exhibition is back!

For the first time ever, exciting exhibitors and brands such as SweeTooth, Tokidoki, Blackmores, Kalila Organics, Kippins and Young Living will be joining the Baby Baby fair.

They will also offer essentials from popular brands such as Philips Avent, Spectra, Capella, Aveeno, Parklon, Lamaze and more!

It’s the best time to stock up on milk powder and diapers from MamyPoko, Moony, Huggies, Pampers, GOO.N, Gain IQ, Friso, Enfagrow, Nestle NAN, Similac and more!

There will be over 500 Brands & Star Buys and stand a chance to win fantastic prizes such as strollers, toys, a staycation package and more in their Lucky Draw! Have fun in their specially curated Lifestyle Area with the Stroller Park, Demo Stage and more!

Stroller Park? What’s that?

At the Stroller Park, you can actually test drive strollers on actual terrains!

Demo Area is where there will be talks from renowned experts speaking on important topics such as Infant Massage, Babywearing and health-related topics!

Plus be among the first 20 to register and come down for the session to receive a limited edition goodie bag (worth over $10)!

There will also be Super Crazy Deals at 2 pm daily with more than 2,000 items with the lowest prices guaranteed! Prices are as Low as $5 so do be sure to be the first few ones in line! Crazy deals will include breast pumps, Car Seats, Carriers, Bouncers and more!

MUST GO OKAY!

Disclaimer: Please note that photos are from last year’s event, so not all brands shown will necessarily be at this year’s fair. Check out the website for the fully updated list of vendors. Other T&Cs apply

But of course, one of the problems I experienced after giving birth was hair loss

SUPER ANNOYING, CAN?

Whyyyyyy?!!!!

Why must the hair fall easily after we give birth?

Just what causes it?

They say it’s due to stress and hormonal changes.

Okay fine, I shall accept that.

But hey, you do not suffer from hair loss only after giving birth. Other triggers could be also stress or nutrient deficit due to an unbalanced diet or weight loss diets.

Besides hair loss, my hair also lacked the shine and looked dull. For starters, constant bleaching and heat treatments like blowdrying and straightening of hair stress the hair. The surface will be rough and thus hair becomes difficult to comb.

Anyone else facing a similar situation?

When I was introduced to Plantur 21 shampoo that has been developed for colour-treated and stressed hair like mine, of course I wanted to give it a try.

Why caffeine in shampoo?

Let me tell me you why.

According to a new study, caffeine helps the hair to grow faster.

The complex in Plantur 21 helps to prevent an energy deficit in the hair roots. If used regularly, the Nutri- Caffeine Complex gives hair roots the energy boosts they desperately lack of.

Plantur 21 shampoo also contains conditioning agents that repair the externally stressed hair. This represents no burden on the hair, since no silicones that weigh down the hair are used.

Plantur 21 Nutri-Conditioner regenerates and fortifies the hair structure from the outside.

Fruit acid and active avocado components in the conditioner strengthen the hair structure and smooth the rough hair surface. The hair immediately gains shine and brilliance. It also brushes more easily.

After washing my hair, I will apply Nutri-Caffeine Elixir scalp tonic to the scalp once a day and massage in.

With its Nutri-Caffeine Complex, the scalp tonic provides protection from an energy deficit in the hair roots, and this will help to prevent premature disruptions of hair growth.

I have been using Plantur 21 shampoo, conditioner and scalp tonic for two weeks now and I can already see the differences. Hence, this blog post.

The most noticeable difference will be…

MY HAIR IS LONGER!

I also like how the surface of the hair is no longer as rough as before.

That also means that I can easily brush my hair now.

Another difference that’s noticeable is lesser hair loss now.

And this one is the best – my hair now looks shinier and more luscious!

I am so going to continue using Plantur 21 even after my hair loss problem has been improved!

Ladies, conventional hair care alone won’t help. Instead, the problem must be directly tackled at the hair root. After 120 seconds, the active caffeine in Plantur 21 shampoo can penetrate the hair root and unfold its effect.

You can purchase Plantur 21 Shampoo online or at all major supermarkets and drugstores.

I have with me the results for the Home Works Contest by Icon Interior Design.

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You can click HERE to view the participating houses if you have not done so. Come back here once you are done!

But before I get down to the results, I want to reveal the BIG SURPRISE that I mentioned in the previous post!

ARE YOU READY?

Icon Interior Design will be having a soft launch of their second floor showroom from 12 to 20 November 2016! And definitely they will want to celebrate the launch with YOU! That said, it is going to be a mega celebration!

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Besides the usual Year End Fair (which almost every renovation and interior design company will be having) Icon Interior Design will also have….

(1) A LIVE COOKING DEMONSTRATION BY CELEBRITY CHEF BOB!

Image credit: Chef Bob

Now, it’s my time to say that Icon Interior Design is the FIRST INTERIOR DESIGN COMPANY EVER to have a live cooking at their Urban Kitchen! LOL. I believe no other interior design company has done that before, so if you would like to see for yourself why the urban Kitchen is A BIG DEAL, here’s your chance! No gimmicks, no nothing. Just good food!

ARGHHHHHHHH SOOOOOO ORGASMIC! CHEF BOB I ALSO WANTTTT!

Chef Bob is no stranger, especially if you watch Suria Channel. Besides being a chef, he is also a very funny guy! I have always enjoyed watching all of his cooking programmes on TV – he is really good at finding the funny side in day-to-day life before inserting humour naturally into his shows.

And want to know what else will Icon Interior Design be having for the first time ever?

(2) BULK PURCHASES!

This means that you can actually purchase all your home/kitchen appliances at WHOLESALE PRICES! The bosses of Icon Interior Design have done a lot of research in order to bring you cheaper deals for their Year End Fair!

And just to make you go crazy a bit, let me just show you some of the items that will be selling at wholesale prices!

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WOWWWWWW THIS IS REALLY CRAZY, GUYS!

For the rest of the items going at wholesale prices, you will have to drop by during the fair from 12 to 20 November 2016 to find out!

Please make use of this opportunity to get good stuff for your house at great deals!

Can I also say that Icon Interior Design is the FIRST INTERIOR COMPANY to introduce bulk purchases to their customers? Can lah, can lah! Some ID companies think that only their company can be the FIRST ID COMPANY to do this and that ah? Unfortunately, they cannot be the first to do bulk purchases already. TAKE THAT!

LOL.

(Ya I am childish like that!)

(3) SURE WIN LUCKY DIP WITH EVERY SIGN UP

Guys, for every signup with Icon Interior Design, you will be eligible for the SURE WIN LUCKY DIP! The earlier you are, the higher your chances are to grab the BEST PRIZE!

WOW!!!!!!!

Now now, am I done? Not quite.

I will be choosing 15 VIPsto attend the live cooking demonstation by Chef Bob. These VIPs are special because they will be seated and they will also receive ADDITIONAL door gifts on top of the door gifts mentioned earlier!

YES YOU WILL RECEIVE THE ABOVE IF YOU ARE CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE VIPs!

But if you cannot wait, then you can email me at asketrangle@gmail.com quick to reserve a slot for you!

Strictly for the first 15 VIPs!

(5) WIN CASH PRIZES IF YOUR HOUSE IS SELECTED!

Just a little recap, six extremely beautiful houses were chosen to participate in Home Works by Icon. A free photoshoot was then arranged at the finalists’ homes. I then put up the photos in my blog and got the public to vote.

Top 3 houses will win:

1ST PRIZE $3000 CASH 2ND PRIZE $2000 CASH 3RD PRIZE $1000 CASH

Yes, just by signing up with Icon Interior Design, you will get to enjoy all of the above that I have mentioned. Want to join the next season of Home Works by Icon? Sign up with them during the Year End Fair!

Let me now congratulate the TOP 3 WINNERS for the recent Home Works by Icon contest!

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CONGRATS TO ALL WINNERS!

So homeowners, who are planning to renovate your house, tell me ONE REASON why you should not consider Icon Interior Design when I have already given you FIVE GOOD REASONS why you should sign up with them.

*flips hair*

At Icon Interior Design, they have special packages for all types of private and HDB houses.

Plus, if you are keen to have an urban Kitchen, they even have a Blum uK One at just $6,888 with a Silestone tabletop!

I have done my part to share with you about their Year End Fair.

Your turn now to make an appointment with your preferred Interior Designer!.

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Let me now answer my own question.

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And oh, the live cooking demonstration by Chef Bob is open to public! So please do drop by because the more, the merrier!

So I brought them and my good friend Sabby to Doughworkz family bonding class the other time! The husband had a soccer match so he could not accompany us, unfortunately.

But anyway.

WHAT IS DOUGHWORKZ FAMILY BONDING CLASS PLEASE?

Doughworkz by PastaMania is a monthly pasta and pizza making class customised for children from 4 to 12 years old.

At Doughworkz, children become mini masterchefs and make their own pizza from scratch! Yes, they will be given their own chef’s hat and apron.

Plus, they will also get to enjoy their handmade pizza at the end of the session too.

My girls were really excited to know that they would be making their own pizza. But right before they started with the pizza making, they were introduced to the basics of food preparation hygiene by the friendly Doughworkz team! They also got to learn interesting facts about pasta and pizza to expand their food knowledge.

Let’s make pizza now!

Step 1

First, make sure the surface is clean and dry. Heap flour onto it.

The girls did not have to make the dough from scratch because the Doughworkz team already demonstrated how to make the dough and shaped it into balls for all the participants.

Step 2

So the next step is to use the pressure of both hands to flatten the dough.

Step 3

Then, use the fingertips and middle of fingers to gently stretch into a flat circle. Keep pushing the edges out until you get the desired size.

Step 4

Spread the sauce evenly on the base.

Step 5:

Since the theme for the class the other day was Halloween, the challenge was for the participants to decorate the pizza with the toppings and make it as scary looking as possible! Of course I had to get myself involved in this activity. So I helped Mysha with the decorating part!

Sabby was so engrossed with her pizza too!

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Sharleez’s Pizza!

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Mysha’s Pizza

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Myreen’s Pizza

Step 6:

Time to bake the pizza!

Look at my proud girls with their baked pizza!

Step 7:

Time to eat!

No pizza will ever taste as fresh as it does when you eat it straight from the oven! And we got to do just that during the Doughworkz class!

Oh guess what?

Mysha was one of the winners for the BEST DECORATED PIZZA! Sabby’s pizza won too! They each won a scoop of ice-cream!

HURRAYYYYYY!

My girls had lots of fun kneading the dough and decorating their own pizza, definitely. I had a lot of fun too snapping their photos and helping them out with the pizza making. Definitely a great way to bond with the kids!

One thing for sure, it was not THAT EASYto knead the dough to the perfect shape, size and thickness! Thank goodness the Doughworkz guys were always around to assist us!

At the end of the class, my little chefs got to bring home with a goodie bag of mini apron, chef hat, certificate and a photo of them in the cute getup.

But of course we did not go home right away. How could we leave PastaMania without dining there? Wait a minute, you do know that Pastamania is halal-certified right?

Everyone ordered the usual.

Seafood Marinara for me!

Carbonara Pasta for Sabby

And kids’ meals for my girls!

I totally forgot to order my favourite Banana Pizza! You must try their Banana Pizza, guys! Its basically thin crust pizza with banana and chocolate shavings toppings.

YUMMYYYYYYYY!

Doughworkz kid’s class is at $28 per child and family bonding class cost $55 per parent and child pair.

You can book a session for your kid or with their friends for a fun get-together party! Sounds like fun!

The classes are available at:

PastaMania Sengkang Sports & Recreation Centre

PastaMania Singapore Management University (SMU)

PastaMania NEX

My girls and the other participants each received these too at the end of the class:

Certificate of Participation with their photo

Doughworkz Notebook & Stickers

Doughworkz Sling Bag

Pastamania apron

Doughworkz chef hat

Readers who quote ETRANGLE when signing up for the Nov or Dec classes will get a special rate of $25 per child and $45 per parent & child pair for the family class.

Oh yeah, previously it was known as Home Reno Challenge. I kinda got sick of the name, so we renamed it. Besides, change is always good.

So anyway.

You know the drill, don’t you?
I show you the pictures of the finalists.
You choose the most beautiful home (this is pretty subjective but oh well!)
You vote.

The top three houses will stand to win the following CASH PRIZES:

1st Prize: 3K cash
2nd Prize: 2K cash
3rd Prize: 1K cash

We have six finalists in all.

Ready?

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AHAAHAHAHAHAHA.

So have you already figured out why the blog title?

It’s because we have a PINEAPPLE HOUSE this time round!

Hold on ah. Let me sing some more .

I have a house. I have pineapple. UHHHHH PINEAPPLE HOUSE!

Apaprently the homeowners for the pineapple house love Spongebob Squarepants and I have been told by my kids that Spongebob Squarepants live in a pineapple house. The full address will be 124 Conch Street.

Okay jokes aside, want to know how we will calculate and determine the winners this time round? It’s no longer 100% votes by the public, to be fair to those finalists who are not so active in social media.

So it’s going to be:
40% votes by public
40% votes by bosses of Icon Interior Design
20% votes by meeeeeeee

Prizes that await them?

1ST PRIZE: 3,000 CASH

2ND PRIZE: 2000 CASH

3RD PRIZE: 1000 CASH

WOWWWWWWWWWW THE PRIZES KEEP GETTING BETTER!

Time to vote, you guys!

Voting will end on 30 October 2016 at 2 pm sharp!

Results will be announced on 2 November 2016, together with THE BIG REVEAL!

What reveal?

To get you excited, Icon Interior Design will be having a soft launch of their second floor showroom! (Congrats, guys!) Have you seen their new showroom? That’s the first surprise! The second surprise, I am only going to reveal in my next blog post.

No lah, not another pineapple house. Not an apple house too.
What can be bigger (a deal) than a pineapple house, then?

Once their exams are over, I will be bringing the girls (and Shakeel) to Singapore Repertory Theatre to watch Charlotte’s Web!

I am still pretty bummed that we missed their 3 Little Pigs because I just gave birth at that time and was undergoing my silly confinement. So no, not going to miss out anymore on their productions! If you have never been to the plays by SRT, you are missing out on a lotttttttt of things in life. 😀

Who have read Charlotte’s Web before? ME!

Who have not? You should! But in any case, Charlotte’s Web is a story about a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte and the lovable farmhouse animals. Together, they will have a magical adventure.

When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte proves to be a true friend by coming to his rescue. Come watch how Charlotte uses her web-spinning skills to weave messages that praise Wilbur, making him a celebrated pig treasured by the farmer and his family.

Charlotte’s Web is a poignant play that spins a positive message about friendship.

The friendship part – all of us have a soft spot for that and will be able to relate to that!

Experience this timeless story with the entire family! I am so sure your kids will especially enjoy this.

When my twins Mysha and Myreen told me that they wanted to have a big birthday bash for their 8th birthday, it was double trouble. I actually secretly cringed, you know? Okay okay, so bad of me. But as we all know it, it’s never easy to plan for a birthday party. It’s a lot of hard work. It requires a lot of time, patience and dedication.

But then again, their big Sister Sharleez had her big bash last year while her twin sisters watched in envy. So like it or not, I had to comply and plan for the twins’ birthday bash this year. I needed to get this over and done with so that they would not keep asking for a birthday party. Besides, when you are a parent, it’s all about fairness and equality. Are you with me?

Now, the twins will always celebrate their birthday together with Shan every year because their birthday is just a day apart. So it has more or less become a tradition to celebrate together.

Mysha even said this to me, “Mummy, can we still celebrate with Shan? Can we have our party together? It’s not fun without him!”

So nice to see the strong bond my kids and Nurul’s have!

Needless to say, this year was no different. When I told Nurul that I would be doing a birthday bash, she told me that she wanted to do one for Shan as well.

“Let’s combine party ah!” we thought.

But do you want to know the best part? Nurul and I decided to do the decor for the kids ourselves this time round instead of engaging someone else to do it for us. Besides, Sprinkie Parties was not available to do the party décor for us. Boohoo.

And just like Sharleez’s party, this one was going to be like a carnival with booths for the kids!

HOW EXCITING!

But what about the guests then?

To be fair to the guests (so that they did not have to bring THREE GIFTS), we decided to have our own guest list. So in other words,

Nurul invited her own guests/friends for Shan’s party and I invited my own guests/friends for the twins’ party.

So thoughtful of us, right?

Don’t worry, we understand.

We started to plan for the party like about two to three weeks before. It was a pretty last minute decision of ours. BAD MISTAKE. It was madness as Nurul was quite busy with her shooting. But despite it all, we both still made time because hey, we were doing it for our kids. Of course we would want the best for them. It was quite chaotic as we are both not party planners to begin with, but the chaos made it all the more fun and funny! Truth be told, we actually had lots of fun planning and searching for the decor stuff. It was also a good bonding period for Nurul and I as we had been too busy prior to that to even make time for each other.

For every birthday, the thing that I always look forward to doing is their goody bags for my kids! I am not really a fan of those pre- packed goody bags. I prefer making them from scratch albeit the extra effort and cost.

So since the chosen theme was Harry Potter, I did my research and once I figured out the perfect goody bag for the twins, I bought the materials and designed the necessary artwork.

I spent quite some time on the goody bags, but because every goody bag was designed from scratch, I got my girls, husband and helped to help out! Even my dad volunteered to help out by cutting out the stickers for me! Now that we have Shakeel, I can no longer be as efficient as before. So of course I will appreciate all the extra help I can get.

These are the goody bags! I did the artwork for the ties, logos, labels and collar. Printed them out as stickers to be pasted on the otherwise plain black paper bag.

As for the goodies, I labeled them as below:

Chocolate frogs

Flavor Beans

Jelly Slugs

Ageing Potion

And these are Shan’s goody bags, done by his mummy of course!

Mak volunteered to cook for the party because #AzizahCanCook, remember? She was like, “No need to find caterer lah! I want to cook for them!”

It’s always nice when family members are so ready and eager to help out in whatever ways they can, and I know I can always count on my family for that! Thank you Roslans!

Truth be told, I really could not wait for the birthday party because I was raring to do the decor!

This was the decor Tatek and I did for Mysha and Myreen’s Harry Potter themed party.

Not that bad, right?

My twins were so proud of me and praised me endlessly when they saw the decor! That was enough to make my day. 🙂

And Shan was super elated to see his snake décor all done up for him by his mummy!

(LOOK AT SHAISTA’S FACE! LOLOLOL)

So how do you actually for plan a birthday bash and what are the party services available?

I am going to list down everything for you (i.e. the party services we engaged) for your easy reference and planning should you need to plan for your little one’s birthday bash!

(You can thank me later!)

Costumes

Now, it would be ridiculous to buy a Harry Potter or Hogwarts outfit for myself and Tatek. I mean, what would we do with the costumes after the party? So just like the previous parties, I rented our costumes from No.1 Costume

Birthday Invites

I had the invites for Mysha and Myreen done by Sprinkie Parties because Ili (the big boss of Sprinkie Parties) knows Harry Potter better than I do!

Photography:

I have engaged the services of Pink Elephant Labs once for Sharleez’s birthday party and I really liked the quality of the photos they took! Their photos are always so bright and happy looking, perfect for kids’ parties!

I then took a family studio shoot with Pink Elephant Labs for my previous blog layout!

So it’s not a surprise if Pink Elephant Labs was chosen yet again for the twins and Shan’s birthday party!

My dear friend Indriana from Pink Elephant Labs did not disappoint as usual! I liked how dedicated she was in ensuring that she got the shot of every single detail at the party! And she was so accommodating! I remember always interrupting her and asking her to get the shots of us with certain guests who were leaving. She did it ever so readily.

So all the beautiful birthday shots you see in this post are by Pink Elephant Labs unless otherwise stated! (Some will be from i-phone)

Photobooth

Our number one choice when it comes to photobooth has got to be Wishing Wand! Their photo quality, wide range of theme appropriate props, backdrops and the artwork they produce are just awesome! Everyone will never fail to look extra good in their photos!

Again, not our first time engaging the services of Wishing Wand!

These are the super wonderful and kind bosses of Wishing Wand!

And just look at these pretty bookmarks! I call this effort, Wishing Wand!

Henna & Face Painting

Kids just loooooooooooove to get their hands and face stained but only at parties can they do so without being questioned by their parents! LOL.

My girls are currently into henna, so they were really excited when they saw the Henna booth!

All they needed to do was to choose a design they liked before getting it henna-ed on their hand. The henna took less than 30 minutes to dry up but once dry, all they needed to do was to peel it off! So fuss free and really suitable for kids!

And oh, the henna lasted for a week!

Thank you Tarted Skin Stains for the henna and face painting!

Tarted Skin Stains have party packages ranging from $220 to $550 for your consideration!

With the helpful staff stationed at the respective machines, we did not have to worry about anything at all!

Besides the candy floss and popcorn machines, we also had Chocolate Fountain for the guests! Chocolate fountain is a beautiful centrepiece for any event, and is especially ideal for children’s parties. It was definitely a hit because the guests kept coming to the Chocolate Fountain station for their chocolate treats!

The dipping treats were marshmallows and fresh fruits, to name a few.

Thank you Sequin Events & Co for ensuring that everything went smoothly, and for your friendly services!

Besides birthday parties, Sequin Events & Co also cater to weddings and corporate events! They are definitely not newbies in the industry as they have done sooooooooo many events!

Sequin Events & Co are currently having a special promotion for 2016 and 2017 weddings!

Birthday Cake

I have always wanted to try out Lynn’s Cakes over a cup of latte at her bakery cafe but I have yet to do so until now. But I have seen her wonderful cake designs time and time again and I told myself that I must engage her services for the twins’ birthday party!

True enough, Lynn delivered more than what Nurul and I expected for the kids’ birthday cakes!

I like how professional and efficient yet funny Lynn was throughout our discussions!

WANT TO SEE THE BIRTHDAY CAKES?

This was Mysha’s cake.

This was Myreen’s.

JUST LOOK AT THE SUGAR OWL! IT LOOKS SOOOOOO REAL, DOESN’T IT?

Superbly done!

MY GIRLS WERE EXTREMELY PLEASED WITH THEIR BIRTHDAY CAKE!

And this was Shan’s!

She did these cute Snake Cupcakes too for Shan’s class party!

Okay sometimes, cakes can be so pretty looking but when you finally taste them, you would end up disappointed. Too sweet or too hard.

But Lynn’s cakes did not disappoint at all! Cake was really soft and not too sweet! Fondant was not too hard or too sweet. For the first time ever, I actually ate a cake together with the fondant WITHOUT LOOKING FOR A GLASS OF PLAIN WATER THEREAFTER!

Keychains

We had personalized keychains as one of the contents for the kids’ goody bags!

I have to thank Intan Armelia for these keychains.

Besides keychain, you can also opt for a name badge instead, with a theme of your choice!

Mysha and Myreen had Hogwarts keychains for all their classmates!

Shan on the other hand, had snake themed keychains for his classmates!

To find out more about personalized keychains, badges and more,

IG: @lovecreatez

Contact: 9655 6543

Shakeel’s robe

Now that I have a little baby, every event or party will mean that I have to think of one additional person to dress up. And since Shakeel is still so tiny and cute, I had a hard time finding a Harry Potter robe for him! So I thought I should get it sewn to his size instead. But who could actually do it for me?

Special thanks to Farasya SG for sewing this robe for Shakeel in the correct cooling material!

Science Experiment:

Hence, I decided to engage the services of Mad Science Experiment for the twins’ party!

Mad Scientist has a lot of experiments and themes available for birthday parties!

I chose Young Wizards for a very obvious reason.

For this theme, Mad Science revealed the science behind spells and potions!

During this one hour session, children learnt all the science behind wizardry including:

Wands – The Mad Scientist created lightning bolts from the Electric Wand, and lighted a fire with it! Then Lumos wands mysteriously emitted their own glow!

Indoor fireworks display – kids learnt how adding different metals to fire changes the colour of the flames.

Lucky volunteers then helped the Mad Scientist brew Mystic Potions with Ice from the Mystic Cave of Yaaaaaaar, and other ‘mystic’ ingredients like hen’s bile, Yolk of Dragons Egg, pure water from the river Tigris and Euphrates, rat’s tooth powder and more!

The kids even met the screeching spoon and encountered Voldemorts Volcano of Foam.

Finally, everyone got the chance to make and take home slime that glows – using Troll’s blood!

Definitely a hit, especially with the bigger kids!

Mad Science will bring all the experiments to set up at your venue of choice. All you have to do is book the venue and invite the kids, and they will provide the entertainment!

Snake Charmer:

Since Shan’s theme was Snake, Nurul decided to engage the services of the one and only snake charmer Yusuf Ular to especially surprise Shan!

Shan is really into animals so we were pretty sure he would be so pleased with this!

Every single guest was super attentive during his segment because hey, it’s not everytime that you get to see real snakes during a birthday party!

Yusuf Ular showed the guests the different types of snakes he owns, which includes the King Cobra!

ssssssssssssSCARY!

Definitely a very happy moment for Shan! I could see how he was beaming and smiling from ear to ear!

Every guest even had the opportunity to take photos with the python!

To enquire more about his services, you can contact Yusuf Ular at 93525094

Food by #AzizahCanCook

Nurul and I actually requested for just a simple menu for the guests. But my mum being my mum, kept adding on to the list and ended up cooking quite a feast for the guests. I know she will do anything to make her grandchildren really happy on their big day.

Thank you Mak and Daddy for the generous spread of food! We can never thank you enough for always giving your best to our kids.

To order their weekly SuperShiok Nasi Ambeng, you can do so via the following methods:

Wand Making

I am indeed lucky to have those few friends who will go the extra mile for me and my family!

Nura (the big boss of Pearlista salon for Muslimahs) for instance, sent me a message weeks before the birthday party and told me that her daughter Nyla (who is a well-known kid actress and host) is a big fan of Harry Potter and would like to volunteer and teach wand making to the little guests! I was sooooo touched by her kind gesture! So Nyla was given one special booth during the party for her to teach wand making!

Look at all the materials above which Nyla prepared! Really, really, so sweet of her!

And then, there is also my good friend, Sabby. Her hubby and her were there early to help us with the preparations! I can never thank her enough because she is one person I can always rely on anytime and anyday!

Big thank you to all the guests for making time to attend the party! I am sorry that I did not invite a lot and I am sorry if I missed anyone out. Even though it was a birthday bash, I wanted to celebrate the girls to celebrate it people who matter to them and us, hence the limited number of guests. I am seriously done with this whole “invite for the sake of inviting” game. HAHAHA.

And I am sorry that I have yet to include pictures of the guests in this post. I have yet to choose the pictures! Will gradually add them once I have done so and tag you lovely people! 🙂

Thank you once again to my family members for being there for us, and for making our kids happy always.

Lastly, thank you to my partner in crime, Lulu Aini. I can never find a better working partner because both of us know each other just toooooooo well! While planning for the party, we both agreed that we make a great team in anything and everything!

But even if we know nothing about driving or cars, we can always count on reliable car shops like Autobacs to make us more car-smart than some men out there. Sheesh.

Recently, I made a trip to the newly revamped Autobacs at Bukit Batok to shop for some car accessories and also to have my car checked! After all, I was entitled to a FREE 50 POINT CHECK. What’s that? Read on!

I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED GOING TO AUTOBACS, EVEN BEFORE I HAD MY DRIVING LICENSE OR CAR!

There’s just something about the place that will make me wander through the isles before ending up shopping for car accessories! They have such a huge range of everything related to car parts and accessories.

Hello Kitty fans, anyone?

Another reason why I really love Autobacs is because of the fact that the staff are super friendly and knowledgeable about the products they are selling!

Now, believe me, I was never a car kind of person. My husband has always been the one in charge of the car maintenance and grooming (and he is really strict about it). The only thing I’m in charge of will be the car scents, which I keep changing. HAHA.

I used to avoid going to car workshops because I know nuts about the technical aspects of the car, and I had this idea that the car mechanics will make fun of my car maintenance knowledge should I send my car to the workshop on my own.

But my visit to Autobacs at Bukit Batok that day without my husband was indeed an eye-opener and hence, this post.

Before I go on, let me take a selfie at Autobacs.

Would you believe me if I were to tell you that I learnt a lot within an hour of visit? The staff at Autobacs are always ready to assist you and tell you more about the car products or accessories. So female drivers, you do not have to feel shy or intimidated. Just ask them and they will be more than willing to assist you because female drivers are treated like VIPs at Autobacs.

Let me talk a bit about tires!

For a start, did you know that the functionality of the tire depends on the thread design?

There are three types of tread designs:

Directional : for sports handling

Symmetrical: for comfort and low noise

Asymmetrical: for balanced and all rounded performance

And have you always wondered why some branded tires can really be sold at low prices sometimes?

It is because of their manufacturing year! In other words, they will sell you tires that were manufactured years ago at low prices, just to clear their stocks.

SO WHAT? STILL CHEAP, WHAT!

Well, here’s the thing. Tires are made of rubber. Rubber degrades with age. Factors like sunlight, heat, ice and general wear and tear can accelerate the breakdown of a tire. Once a tire begins to break down, it is more likely to fail often at highway speeds. What can the failure cause? Catastrophic injuries or death.

The expiration date of tires should be six year from the date of manufacture. But have you ever been told that by the car workshop you go to replace your tires?

Let me now show you how smart I am teach you what Autobacs taught me. HAHA.

Ok look at the tire below for example.

The date your tires were made will be on the sidewall in the form of four numbers usually preceded by the letters DLH. These numbers represent the week number and year, so 0916 will be week 09, 2016. Use that information to make sure you’re buying tires with the longest shelf life possible and not those expired ones.

And I discovered some good stuff too which I think you should consider buying because I am buying all of them!

AQuality Rubber tray mat

(can only be found at Autobacs)

Parents with small kids, you will so need this too!

This is a removable 3D floor mat which will trap dirt within the mat. It prevents any water or dust going onto the original carpet floor mat. Ideal to be used after going to sandy, muddy places or on rainy days.

My girls always have to ensure that their shoes are really clean before entering the car. But kids being kids, will somehow get it wrong and end up dirtying the floor mat.

Their Daddy will always be so grumpy when he sees the mess because it’s always him who has to do the cleaning up. So I think he will really find this rubber trat mat useful!

AQuality Deodorizer

(can only be found at Autobacs)

This is a gel type of odor remover in cars, placed under the front car seat. It removes unwanted smell in the cars.

We always think twice about buying durians and putting them in the car because of the strong smell which will sometimes take days to completely go away. So this Autobacs Deodorizer is really something we need for the car. I am a durian lover – no way will I forsake buying durians!

DRIVER TRAY

This one is good if you are always on the go and have to eat or do your work (which will normally require a table) in the car!

They also have something similar for the rear!

I mentioned earlier that female drivers are treated like VIPS at Autobacs!

That is why they have the additional benefits for all female drivers who purchase anything at Autobacs!

Autobacs @ Bukit Batok will give female drivers an additional of 5% discount with every $50 purchase in a single receipt for accessories, car care items and car repairing product.

But men, don’t sad! Autobacs love you just as much too!

There is also a special offer for all of my readers on blog and IG, FB which I will mention at the end of the post!

KEEP READING.

I received a complimentary 50-point check for my car and brought along my kids to Autobacs Ubi for the check. Remember I mentioned that I will tell you more about this?

Okay now, what is a 50 point check?

It’s like a thorough body check up when you visit the doctor, only that this one is done on your car!

And while you wait for your car to be checked or serviced, you can wait comfortably at their lounge! Best thing is, you can have a good view of your car from the lounge, regardless of the Autobacs store you visit.

This is the newly revamped lounge at Autobacs Bukit Batok.

Enjoy a full body massage while waiting.

Or a cup of hot latte or cold iced lemon tea.

And some snacks, maybe.

Plus, you get a clear view of your car too!

I asked my girls to bring along their storybooks so that they could do their reading while we waited for our car to be ready.

And since the lounge is fully air-conditioned, Shakeel was so comfortable and either kept quiet or slept all the way.

#LIKEABOSS THIS BOY.

After the check was done for my car, the (handsome) mechanic called me to the pit to REVEAL the condition of my car.

I even brought the girls to the pit to have a closer look.

At this point, you must be saying this,

“AIYAH SURE THEY WILL SAY THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT NEED TO BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED! FEMALE DRIVER SURE KENA KETUK ONE!”

NAH YOU ARE SO WRONG!

On the overall, my car is pretty alright except for some minor faults. And no, they do not believe in hard selling. They gave me the checklist and told me to go home to discuss with my hubby before deciding. They did not tell me stuff that I often hear mechanics at typical car workshops telling us like “WAH YOU BETTER DO NOW AH. YOUR CAR REALLY IN BAD CONDITION ALREADY.”

And oh, while you are at Autobacs, you should also register as a club member of Autobacs! It is FREE and by joining as a club member, you will get to enjoy the following privileges:

Autobacs at Bukit Batok also has an eye center in that gives all customers free eye checks and recommendations on the ideal eye wear items for drivers. Spectacles can be ready within 20 mins and they even provide on the spot cutting!

Autobacs Bukit Batok will be having their Car Life Carnival starting from 7 October 2016 all the way till 16 October 2016!

Join them in celebrating their store’s reopening from 7th Oct to 16th Oct 2016 with great deals and giveaways!

Free Battery Health Check and get a free travel adaptor (worth $39.90) with every purchase of Bosch Battery

If you are thinking of where to bring your kids on Children’s Day ( which is tomorrow), you might want to drop by Autobacs at Bukit Batok because there will be kid friendly activities for them like balloon sculpting, Daytona racing games, free popcorn, candy floss and scoop drinks!

What’s more, every purchase at Autobacs Bukit Batok will entitle you to the following free gifts:

Free Autobacs Mobile Stent (with any purchase)

Free Autobacs Sunshade set OR Umbrella (with purchase of $50 and above)

Where are they at?

30 Bukit Batok East Ave 6 S(659761)

Date: 7 Oct – 16 Oct

Time: 10am – 6pm

AND ESPECIALLY TO ALL MY READERS,

Enjoy Free 50 point checks for the first 10 followers who come and visit Autobacs Bukit Batok store from 7th to 31 October 2016